


Dance or Dream

by Skydriane



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:41:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 35,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28948338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skydriane/pseuds/Skydriane
Summary: Sarah dreams of the ballroom again, but something's fishy.(This started as a three-shot but has kept growing)
Relationships: Jareth/Sarah Williams
Comments: 34
Kudos: 41





	1. Of Ballrooms and Bubbles

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Labyrinth or its characters.

I... wish...

Sarah foggily looked around her, trying to place where she was. Sheer gauze and sparkling chandeliers floated around her, tugging at her memory. Music, so soft that she almost couldn't hear it, was playing as if from a distance. Ornate fans half-hiding grotesque masks surrounded her... why was it so familiar?

Moving slowly, as if through water, she pushed through the glittering crowd, not sure what she was searching for, and was surprised to see bubbles float and sparkle around her.

_That's different,_ she mused, _But different from what?_

The crowding dancers shifted and she spied a hint of pale hair and a gaze of sapphire and ice locked on hers. Frozen in place by those eyes, feeling suddenly like small prey in the sights of an owl. She swallowed, feeling as though she should run or hide, somehow knowing that either option would be useless.

He glided closer and the crowd parted to let him through. She noted the rich blue velvet of his tailored jacket which glittered with jewels like stars. His ruffled shirt, jeweled pin and belt, then his sleek dark tail ending in a sharp edged, uneven fin.

Fin?

Sarah blinked several times trying to understand what she was seeing. The man/shark was still approaching, floating out of the crowd, hand extended, as if about to ask her to dance.

Dance? Float? Swim?

Finally he reached her and a small, crooked smile formed on his lips, which rapidly transformed into a smirk.

That smirk!

"Jareth!" The word was a startled whisper. She remembered.

The smirk only grew as he offered his hand to her, an invitation to dance. She hesitated, both from remembering who he was, and because of the strange appearance of his lower body.

The Goblin King only continued smirking as he noted her gaze.

"Join me for a dance?" he asked cordially, extending his hand further towards her.

"Dance?" she raised an eyebrow, indicating the shark tail where his legs should be, "How?"

"You'll find legs are not as necessary to dancing as some would have you believe" there was mirth in his voice. "Perhaps you should try it"

Following his gaze, Sarah looked down, and almost fainted. She was once again wearing the enormous puffy white gown that she remembered but instead of a hoop-skirt or crinoline, her shimmering skirts were floating, with long, slender white tendrils emerging, tentacles!

She was a jellyfish!

"What have you done to me!" She couldn't hide the hint of panic in her voice as she suddenly struggled to keep her balance.

"Nothing" the smirking king replied calmly, raising both hands to imply innocence.

"Nothing, nothing, tra la la? I wouldn't call this nothing!" she clenched her fists and said king was fortunate that the daggers in her eyes were only metaphorical.

Sarah hadn't thought it was possible, but the smirk only got larger as he answered, "Ah, but you see, you did this"

"M-me?" she stuttered, and bumped into a pair of dancers. "How?"

"Because this is your dream"

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes there is a tiny reference to a certain Disney princess ;)
> 
> (I don't own anything by Disney either)
> 
> To see the drawing that inspired this go to https://www.deviantart.com/skydriane/art/Dance-or-Dream-797632923


	2. The Mechanics of Dreams

"M-my… dream?" Sarah repeated blankly, still trying to get the hang of staying upright.

"Of course" His voice was gentle, but with a hint of mockery.

"But… how… ?" Sarah mind was reeling, then screeched to a halt on one thought "Are you really here then? Or are you also a figment of my dream?"

With a slight shrug, he stated "A figment of a dream is not conscious of itself, only the dreamer is"

"That's not helping!" she fumed. She was about to turn away from him, but paused, "Am I conversing with my subconscious, or have you somehow weaseled your way into my head!"

His grin was conspiratory, "And how would a figment of a dream know what he is, or is not?"

"Ugh! As if I would ever get a straight answer from you!"

Sarah crossed her arms and turned her back on him, not wanting to endure his smug face. Looking around she realized that the ballroom was in fact a spherical aquarium, the dancers all floating about, their tails and fins as fantastical as their masks. Everyone was suspended in crystal-clear water, but somehow could still breath, laugh, and speak.

"Strange mechanics, dreams." she heard from behind her.

"I will agree with you on that point." She half turned back to face him before adding, "And... I think I know how this happened... at least in part."

"Really?" he asked, eyebrows raising with amusement.

"Yes, I took Toby to visit the city aquarium toda-" Sarah looked at The Goblin King and belatedly registered that maybe she should not be mentioning her brother in present company.

Jareth only smiled at her nervousness "Ah, young Toby, how is he now?"

She spun to face him fully. "Fine, and you stay away from him!" she spat.

"Of course, of course, no power over you and yours and all" he responded, his tone surprisingly good natured.

Skepticism tinged her voice. "Then how are you even here? I didn't call you"

"Not directly-" he admitted, "-But if you like, I can show you what happened" He lifted his hand and a perfect crystal sphere appeared at the tips of his fingers.

She eyed him warily "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a straight answer." He ran the sphere nimbly along his fingers before tilting it towards her "This crystal will show you how we have ended up here"

Sarah backed away from the crystal. "Or you could just tell me"

"Ah, still don't trust me my dear?" He was enjoying this.

"Not a smidgen!" With one hand on her hip, the other gestured accusingly at him. "Considering that this present dream is a reflection of a former one that was caused by a tainted peach that came from you!"

"Although I did not cause you to have either dream" he countered. "Not directly."

"Poisoned peach!" she retorted.

Jareth looked into her eyes as he transferred the globe effortlessly from one hand to the other. "Yes, I sent you a peach to give you a dream, to slow you down, to temporarily forget your quest, but I did not decide what dream you would have...you did. And you dreamed of this…" he paused, indicating the ballroom "… and of me" The corner of his mouth twitch up as he continued. "Would I be correct in surmising that this is not the first time that you have dreamt of this ballroom since your adventures in my Labyrinth?"

Sarah's cheeks had become a rather fetching shade of pink. "I have dreamt of the Labyrinth many times... i-it's not something that you can easily forget"

"You are sidestepping my question, thus confirming it" His eyes glittered.

"Why does it matter, what does it have to do with this dream"

"Context, Precious" He looked like the cat that ate the canary.

"You are insufferable!" she huffed.

"Well, unless your dream shifts, you are stuck with me until you wake up" His smug smirk was infuriating!

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Sarah turned to look if there were any good solid chairs lying around, but found none.

She was startled by his voice right beside her ear. "I'm afraid that you cannot abscond from this dream in the manner that you so rudely did the first time."

"Wait a minute!" She halted her search and squinted at him, suspicious, "If it was only my dream, how are you even aware of what happened?"

"Ah, how observant of you." He regarded her with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "I did not lie when I said that I didn't choose the dream… but since my magic had caused your dream, and you dreamed of me, I was drawn into it. Quite unintentionally I assure you"

Sarah looked mortified. "Did I …..did I control you in the dream?"

The Goblin King actually snorted at that, "Heavens no! I retained my free will, as did you."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

He continued."The peach only affected your memories, to stall you long enough for you to lose"

"That's still cheating!" she huffed, glaring.

"Perhaps…" he peered into her eyes, "...but, 'all's fair… in love…and war'…no?"

"No!" She was almost pouting. "And you enjoy exasperating me!"

"True." he grinned impishly.

"Aughhh!" You're impossible!" She crossed her arms. "And you still have not answered how you came to be in this dream; I haven't eaten any spiked fruit lately"

He tilted his head, "I would like to propose a compromise of sorts, I will answer your question without the aide of the crystal, since you mistrust them so much." At that the crystal vanished from where it had been defying physics in his hand.

"And?" she prodded.

He once again extended his hand to her.

"And you dance with me while we continue this conversation"


	3. Once Upon a Dream

Sarah wasn't sure how to respond. It didn't seem right to dance around and casually converse with her brothers kidnapper.

 _He only took Toby because you wished him away._ her inner voice supplied, _And it's not like you haven't danced with him before... plus you might get some answers while you are waiting to wake up._

Even so, she was still hesitant. "No tricks?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"No tricks." He seemed sincere, Sarah tentatively brought her hand towards his.

His face was still gentle, but serious, as he took her hand, and placed his other at her waist.

The sensation of floating in his arms was strange, there were no steps to this dance, only gentle turning, spinning, with iridescent bubbles spiraling around them. Sarah noticed that her tentacles were entwining around them both and blushed furiously, but couldn't do anything about it.

At first they did not speak, and Sarah avoided his eyes, feeling his gaze on her. She stared at the ruffle at his throat instead, trying (unsuccesfully) to ignore the closeness of him.

Finally, reluctantly, Jareth broke the silence, "I suppose that we should continue our conversation now, if I am to be able to answer your questions before you awaken"

"How long do you think we have?" her voice was tense, and she realized that she didn't want this dance to end, not yet. She looked up at his face.

"I do not know, but I would like to make the most of it" His eyes were dark, his normally uneven pupils almost matching.

The intensity of his gaze made Sarah shiver, she gulped and tried to remember her question. "So... how is it that you are here, if I didn't call you?"

He began, "You were dreaming of the Labyrinth again-"

Sarah was confused, "But I've dreamt about the Labyrinth many times... you never came to me then." She squinted at him suspiciously, "Did you...?"

"No, your dreams are your own, it takes certain conditions to allow me to enter" He seemed amused by her suspicions.

"So... what are the conditions?" Sarah continued, somewhat relieved.

"There can be some variables, but there must be some form of invitation..."

"But I didn't invite you!" Sarah blurted, belatedly realizing how rude that sounded and turning a bright shade of crimson.

Unperturbed by her outburst, the Goblin King continued. "As I was saying, you dreamed of the Labyrinth... and you spoke aloud in your sleep... you said 'I wish' "

Sarah had always avoided saying those words since that fateful night; she feared their power.

"What did I wish for?" her voice was tight, she was afraid of the answer.

Jareth looked almost wistful, "You didn't finish your sentence"

A breath of relief escaped her, as he continued "My kind are attuned to listen to wishes, so since you said those words aloud and were thinking of my kingdom, I was drawn into your dream."

"Do you realize how terrifying that is?" she shrieked, "My sleeping brain could have asked for anything, and you... you would have granted it?" Sarah blanched as she mentally reviewed a few mortifying possibilities. Some of them involving her current dance partner.

The Goblin King's smirk implied that he knew, or at least guessed, where her thoughts had just wandered off to. Thankfully he did not pursue it, he simply continued, "There are some guidelines, to help avoid accidents. If you had completed your wish vocally, while sleeping, I still would have entered your dream, to verify your wish, and determine the conditions"

"I suppose that that is slightly reassuring..." she coughed nervously, "I wouldn't want to wake up to purple dragons in my room. Or discover that I had wished away my boss..."

Or any other supremely embarrassing situations, her mind added.

Jareth smiled at that, but then he looked as if something had just occurred to him and the smile faded.

"Sarah, how much time has passed in your world, since you visited mine?"

Sarah's eyes widened. "You don't know?"

"Time flows differently in our respective realms, and your words to me at our last parting ensured that I could not see or contact you until you wished it" The king closed his eyes an instant, as thought pushing away the memory.

"Oh" she mouthed. But then remembered, "But you were there! When I got home... I saw you... as an owl... when the clock chimed!"

"I escorted you home, and I watched as you called your friends. But I was barred from joining you; and then, from seeing you at all" The words seemed to pain him.

"I-I didn't realize" she stuttered, then softy added, "It's been nearly nine years"

"Nine!" The up-swept eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline.

"Yes" her voice was quiet, and full of regret.

Jareth tilted his head and blinked, "Why the sad countenance? Is your life now not happy?"

"No, no! It's not that!" Her fingers on his shoulder fiddled with the lapel of his jacket, "I love my life, my family, even my job... It's just that you are reminding me that it has been far too long since I have spoken with any of my friends from the Labyrinth"

"Why is that?" He brought their clasped hands up to her chin, lifting it so he could see her eyes.

Sarah avoided his gaze. "I think I just got so busy, and then as time passed I began to doubt that it could be real. I thought that maybe my overactive imagination had kind of run away with me..." She looked up at him hopefully. "Are they okay?"

His expression took on a humorous glint, "They are all quite well... and supremely fortunate that I didn't bog them all for treason"

"I suppose you would see it that way." her smile was rueful, she took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. She was afraid to ask, but she had to know. "Do you hate me?...Because I-"

"Beat me? Literally reduced me and my kingdom to ruins?" There was a small quirk in the corner of his mouth, but his eyes looked almost as they had that moment she had refused him.

"I wasn't going to put it so bluntly" Sarah still felt guilty about how things had ended in the escher room, but she had to save Toby, no matter what.

"It is the truth… but no I do not hate you"

The words were spoken in almost a whisper, his hand tightened almost imperceptibly at her waist.

Sarah released a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding. "So... where does that leave us?"

The Goblin Kings face became guarded. "As your vanquished villain, I expect nothing. I did not think that I would ever get to speak to you again."

"Yes, well, you won't get off that easily... you still have a lot of explaining to do!" Her tone was firm, but she was smiling.

Suddenly there was a loud cracking sound.

"You are beginning to awaken"

It was his turn to sound regretful.

Sarah's eyes widened. "What will happen?"

The Goblin King sighed, "I will return to my realm, and you to yours"

A current had formed, trying to pull them apart. "But... wait!" She clung to his shoulders, "Will I ever see you again?"

His eyes fixed on hers with fierce emotion as he breathed, "As you wish"

Another, louder cracking sound shook the room, and the ballroom dissolved into a glittering tsunami that washed over her, and she awoke in her bed, alone.

She was surprised to find her cheeks damp with tears..

…


	4. Manic Monday

The alarm clock radio was blaring the Bangles, but Sarah wasn't ready for any kind of Monday yet and hit the snooze button, still in a fog. She sat up and touched her damp cheeks and reflected on her dream. Could it have been real? Did the Goblin King _really_ come and dance with her in a dream?

It sounded crazy.

Her thoughts went back to her trip to the aquarium with Toby the afternoon before. She had smiled at his enthusiasm; he had been completely fascinated by the varieties of strange and colorful fish. Toby's running commentary was often hilarious, he thought that the mandarin fish looked like a cross between a frog and a hummingbird, wanted a pet axolotl and was disappointed that sea dragons didn't breath fire. Sarah remembered she had wished him away all those years ago, resenting having to babysit him. Now she enjoyed spending time with him, she couldn't imagine her life without him.

Could her dream have just been her brain processing the events and thoughts of the day, her memories and her regrets?

She remembered how some of the sea creatures had made her think of the denizens of the Labyrinth. There were goblin fish (creepy cute), a preserved goblin shark (just plain creepy), and a blobby faced fish that looked like a goblin to her. There was even a poufy white jellyfish that had reminded her of that huge dress she had worn in the ballroom.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense that it had been nothing more than a very vivid dream.

But he had seemed so real. She could still feel where his hands had held her while they danced, and the intensity of his gaze. He had been just as she remembered, well... except that sharks can't wear tight pants.

The radio suddenly blared again; traffic report, it was officially Monday morning.

"Ugh!" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and hopping out of bed. "Okay, I'd better get moving"

The apartment was small, but cosy, furnished with family hand-me-downs and thrift store finds. Tiger, her orange Mainecoon cat was asleep in a beam of sunshine on the couch. Her most precious possessions were in the bookcases, tomes of childhood memories and the classics that she devoured as a teen. And a few tchotches she couldn't part with.

Sarah went through the motions of her morning routine; made her bed, brushed and braided her waist length dark hair, got dressed (blue jeans and a khaki green blouse), fed the cat, packed her lunch, ate some toast... but she couldn't shake her dream.

_That's odd... don't dreams normally fade from memory when you wake up?_

She looked up at the clock in the kitchen and realized that all this daydreaming was going to make her late for work. Gulping down her now lukewarm coffee, she grabbed her lunch and ran out the door, praying that traffic wouldn't be too bad.

No such luck.

Sarah arrived at work ten minutes late. The old red brick building was a former warehouse, with high ceilings and large windows, and she loved it. The printery rented space on the third floor; there was an open area for the machinery on one end, three cubicles on the other. On the wall opposite the big windows were three doors leading to a small break room, a large storage closet and a tiny bathroom. Carla, her boss, only frowned slightly as she saw Sarah slip in the door, she was busy reviewing designs with one of their regular clients. The only other employee, Tina, was adjusting the silk screen, preparing to apply a new color.

Once at her work space, Sarah grabbed a stack of orders and tried to concentrate on work. Her desk was a good reflection of herself, not exactly tidy, but not quite cluttered. There were a few family photos, one of Toby as a toddler with Merlin (she still missed that dog), another of the whole family together when Toby had received a certificate of merit at school last month. Sarah had even snuck in a few momentos, the dwarf bookend was holding up some files, and her paperweight was a souvenir from the Labyrinth. She had found the crystal in Toby's crib the day after running the Labyrinth; he must have still been holding it when they were returned home. Sarah had wanted nothing to do with it at first, she had picked it up using one of Toby's sand buckets, intending to throw it out. But it was a tangible proof of her adventure, and she couldn't bring herself to throw it away, no matter how much it made her nervous. Finally she had settled on putting it away in a box in the attic for years. She had found it again when she was packing to move out. Since it didn't seem to do anything, she assumed that its magic was spent, and had decided to use it as a paperweight.

Still, she never let it be anywhere near where she might change her clothes or something, just in case.

Sarah tried to keep her mind on her work, but it stubbornly refused, far preferring to dwell on the possible reappearance of a certain fairytale monarch in her life rather than the print orders that she was supposed to have finished by the end of the day. Normally she loved her job; it was in a small printing business, specializing in small batch silk screen prints and t-shirts. Nothing fancy or prestigious, but it allowed her to do variety of tasks, from orders and accounting, to actually doing the printing. That was her favorite part - it appealed to her artistic side.

But today, her artistic side, her practical side and all other brain cells were mentally ogling a certain Goblin King who had a penchant for leather.

 _Too bad he wasn't wearing the outfit from the tunnels..._ she mused, and then mentally shook herself.

_Stop it! He's the bad guy, remember?_

_He sure is!_ her inner voice sighed. 

"Uhh!" Sarah huffed under her breath, putting her head in her hands, "How am I going to get anything done today?"

Carla appeared in her doorway, interrupting her reverie, "Sarah? We need to order more of the fluorescent fabric inks, we'll be making the t-shirts for the kids fundraiser again."

"Okay, I'm on it" Sarah added it to the supplies order immediately, before her muddled mind could forget.

Carla's tall lean frame hadn't moved from the doorway "Are you okay?"

"Uhh... yeah, I'm fine, I... just didn't sleep well enough last night."

"Party too hard?" Carla's smile was teasing; she knew that wasn't Sarah's thing.

"Pfft! No, just some weird dreams" And I don't want to talk about it.

"Did you eat anything heavy before bed?" Carla was a bit of a mother hen sometimes.

"No." It took some self-control not to roll her eyes.

"Maybe you could try some chamomile tea." She added helpfully.

"I'll try that, thanks." Sarah tried to turn her attention back to her paperwork.

"It's almost noon, Tina and I are going to Sakura Sushi for lunch, wanna join us?"

"Thanks, but I brought my lunch today, maybe next time." Payday wasn't for another four days, and Sarah had splurged on the weekend with Toby.

"Okay, see you later."

As Sarah once again tried to make sense of the pages in front of her, it occurred to her to wonder if she wasn't just losing her mind.

…

Another crystal shattered against the throne room wall.

"Blast it!"

After waking this morning with new hope, Jareth was now decidedly dejected.

"Why can I still not see her?" he muttered, glaring at the crystal shards littering the floor.

-True she had not finished speaking her wish, but... she had said she would like to see him again, and he had answered her with the words "As you wish". He had hoped that it would be enough to loosen the grip of those cursed words so long ago. Apparently not.

 _Pity_ , he smirked, _I would have loved to see her reaction on awakening._

He returned to lounging on his throne, one hand at his chin, the other tapping a riding crop on his boot. He had much to think about. After the debacle of Sarah's last visit to the Underground, he had honesty thought he would never see her again. Her words had power, and he had been unable to see her, or even send her a message, by letter, or crystal, or goblin. She had been lost to him.

It was probably a good thing, at the time. His state of mind was not exactly stable in the days following his defeat. He had raged, and kicked, and shattered innumerable crystals. The goblins had avoided his throne room for a month. Finally, he had to admit to himself that he had forced her to make an impossible choice. She could not even begin to learn to care for him as long as she feared for her brother. He had not made it clear enough that Toby was no longer in the equation.

But now, her half-formed wish had given him hope. She had not forgotten him, and if their conversation was any indication, she did not hate him, only mistrusted him. He could work with that. It should have allowed him some leeway in his dealings with her. He had tested this new opportunity immediately and was quite put out to discover that he was still blocked from seeing her through his crystals. But he was never one to give up easily.

Forming another crystal, he spoke. "Higgle, Sarah mentioned wanting to see you..."

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes there is a tiny reference to Pika-la-Cynique's GND ;)  
> (And if you have not read her awesome web comic, get thee to deviantart and check it out!)


	5. Of Goblins and Glitter(pants)

The Goblin King slowly, carefully inhaled through his nose and began massaging his temples. This was not going well. All of the passages to the Above that were near Sarah's home were still blocked, bouncing any messages or goblins Jareth had attempted to send right back into his throne room. The goblins thought it was great fun and were now doing it on purpose.

Even Hogbrain had been unable to reach Sarah; the call simply echoed back. Absolutely nothing from the Underground could touch her.

Jareth knew from (very frustrating) experience that even if he was called to her vicinity in his role as Goblin King, he would be confined to that call, unable to explore in order to find her. Not long after Sarah's run, a young neighbor, having heard Sarah play-acting in the park, had wished away his hamster when it piddled on his homework. Jareth had arrived to find a boy of about ten panicking about his soggy Math homework that was due the next morning. Jareth had managed to convince the boy that, no... he was not hallucinating, and yes.. the hamster would become one of them forever unless the boy ran the Labyrinth for it. The boy declined to run, asking only that the goblins take good care of Fluffy, and accepted his dreams instead. Dreams that included non-piddled-on homework.

Afterwards Jareth had tried to leave in owl form to go seek-out Sarah, but had been brusquely detoured back to the Underground.

Finally years had passed without the slightest contact and the Goblin King had resigned himself to his plight, but Sarah's dream had given him new hope.

That hope was not willing to be squelched again. He must find a way.

...

After Carla and Tina had left to get lunch, Sarah was eating her turkey sandwich at her desk, still thinking of His Royal Glitter Pants.

 _Seriously?_ she scoffed, disgusted with herself.

She had managed to not think about him (much) for almost nine years, and one little dream managed to have him on her mind 24/7?

 _He's a villain!_ she scolded herself. _He said so himself, I should not be daydreaming about my childhood nemesis!_

 _Even if he is supremely good looking?_ her inner voice teased.

Sarah rolled her eyes, and had just finished the last bite of her sandwich when she saw movement in her peripheral vision. She almost choked when she saw that it was coming from within her paperweight. Her crystal paperweight.

 _Maybe it had just been a reflection... from the window?_ she looked outside, but all she could see were tree tops and blue sky.

She held her breath as she picked up the sphere to look closer...

...and found herself gazing upon said Royal Glitter Pants, lounging on his throne, surrounded by a gaggle of rowdy goblins.

She almost dropped the crystal.

Scrounging up her courage she looked again and noticed that he didn't seem to sense her watching. He was just tapping his riding crop on his thigh, seemingly absorbed in thought. He was dressed rather casually (for him), in a cream open-necked pirate shirt and overly snug brown leather breeches tucked into heeled boots. He seemed completely oblivious to the chaos around him - and chaos it was. The goblins had set up a makeshift catapult and were using it to launch themselves at what looked like a hole in the wall. But instead of passing through the hole, they bounced off, like a vertical trampoline. They didn't always hit the target though - those unlucky goblins slid down the wall, dizzy, before staggering over for another try.

Suddenly the Goblin King looked around suspiciously and then made a crystal appear in his hand. Her perspective shifted; she found herself looking him directly in the eyes, which widened in surprise, and then his trademark smirk appeared.

She did drop the crystal this time.

She fumbled, caught it, and shoved it in a drawer.

"I must be imagining things!" she placed a hand to her chest and tried to calm her breathing.

She'd just been caught unintentionally spying on the Goblin King!

_Okay, so maybe it had been a bad idea to keep that crystal. Damned nostalgia!_

She really was beginning to feel uneasy; either her teenage fairytale fantasies were real, and invading her life, or she was going crazy.

…

Jareth positively grinned.

So Sarah had kept a crystal? It was curious that it had remained dormant until now. At any rate, the look of shock and blush of embarrassment on her face had been priceless.

_Now, how to use this new information to his advantage?_

...


	6. An Old Friend

Sarah plopped down on her old couch and opened her Thai take-out, budget be hanged; there was no way she was cooking tonight. Tiger came and sat beside her, his head on her lap, purring loudly.

Who knew that (unsuccessfully) trying not to think about Underground royalty all day could be so exhausting?

She dug her chopsticks into her General Thai and finally allowed her mind to slip back to the subject she had been trying to avoid all day. She still had so many unanswered questions, about her run, about her dream, about her paperweight.

How could she get answers?

Jareth had said that he had no power over her; would calling on him for answers annul that?

Too risky, she decided, tapping the chopsticks to her lips.

The paperweight/crystal could possibly be used to get information, but Sarah had no idea how it worked or if it did anything other than spy on the throneroom. And it seemed that Jareth could sense her using it, so... no good.

Saying "I wish" before going to sleep hoping for a new dream? Nope! - waaaay too dangerous!

Suddenly Sarah jumped up, spilling some of her supper. As Tiger descended to inspect the spill, she plunked the rest of her take-out down on the coffee table and ran into her bedroom, stopping in front of the mirror. She didn't have her old vanity mirror anymore, all of her childhood furniture had been passed on to Toby when she had moved out five years ago.

Five years ago. She hadn't called on Hoggle in five years. How long had it been in Underground time?

In the first months after her run Sarah had called on her friends almost every week. Then she had gotten so busy with school, drama club and her part time job, and the visits had become less regular. When she had realised that a whole year had passed without calling them, she had felt guilty, but still hesitated to call. What if they were mad at her for abandoning them?

Or worse, what if she had only imagined the whole thing?

She had been so afraid of the answers that she never tried.

Sarah bit her lip, wondering... would the new mirror work? Would her friends even want to see her after she had ignored them for so long?

"Only one way to find out" she muttered to herself.

Her heart in her throat, she faced the mirror. In the weak light coming from the other room her reflection looked wide eyed and pale as she whispered, "Hoggle, I need you!"

The silence in her room seemed to taunt her.

Taking a slow, deep breath, she tried again.

"Hoggle, please... I need you!"

After a long moment, Sarah sighed, staring at the mirror, her reflection's eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

Suddenly her reflection began to warp and blur, then a familiar wrinkled face appeared, a tiny cottage visible behind him in the golden light. He looked exactly the same as she remembered. He also seemed to be out of breath.

"Sorry Sarah... I came as fast as I could... I was... in me garden." He was dusted in soil, and was still holding a spade.

Despite the dirt, she wanted to hug him. "Hoggle! I'm so glad to see you!" Some of her tears finally did fall, but now from joy.

"You okay Sarah?" Without passing through the mirror, he peered behind her, looking around her room, "Is there trouble?"

"No, I-I'm fine, I just...feel so bad... for not calling you for so long." She wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry..."

Hoggle's lips quirked into a smile. "Is that all? No use ya worryin' over sumfing ya can't change...Now, tell me why ya sound so worried, an' why his Highness called me to try to contact ya today"

Sarah fell back onto the edge of the bed. "Wait! What? He did?"

"Sure!" he said, nodding. "This mornin', out o' the blue, he summons me to the castle, sayin' sumfing 'bout you wanting to see me. I tried to call ya, but it din't work, an' the rat threw a few crystals at the wall an' sent me back with no explanation. I been so worried that sumfing had happened to ya."

_"Oh!"_ Her inner voice squealed _He's trying to see me again!_ Sarah tried to shush the thought.

"So what happened?" Hoggle tilted his head, waiting for an answer.

"Well...ummm...you see..." Sarah shrugged awkwardly, how could she explain to Hoggle that she had dreamed of his king?

Hoggle's hands were on his hips, "Come on, out with it!"

Finally Sarah blurted, "I dreamed of the Labyrinth last night, and the Goblin King showed up in my dream."

She was not going to mention the crystal.

"Oh!" Hoggle looked like he might fall over in shock, he then came close to the mirrors surface, looking her over worriedly, "And you're alright? Nuffin' happened?"

"No... we just talked." She was blushing.

He squinted at her, arms crossed over his chest. "Ya sure nuffin' else happened?"

"Well... we... danced... while we talked... I did dream of a ballroom you know." she trailed off, self conscious about discussing her dream with the dwarf.

"Hmph!" He sat down on a sparkly boulder. "Ya know he's been tryin' to contact ya fer years?"

Years? Sarah's eyebrows raised and her stomach fluttered. "Really? Why?"

Hoggle just shrugged, "Who knows? Not me! But he's a tricky sort, so be careful!" He seemed so genuinely worried that Sarah reached to take his hand to comfort him.

Hoggle held his hand up to stop her. "Don't try to pass through the mirror Sarah!" he looked around nervously, "I don't think the rat can sense us talkin', but if one of us crosses, he'll probably know, bein' the guardian of the passages and all."

Sarah's eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know that he can't sense us right now?"

He sighed. "Cuz, this mornin', he blasted me for not tellin' him that we'd been in touch."

Sarah tried to make sense of everything "But...but... you, and the others have passed through before! After my run you all came to visit several times!"

"Yes, but I don't want ya to risk it; now we knows he's lookin' fer ya"

Trying to understand the why's and how's of Underground travel was beginning to give Sarah a headache. "Hang on, you said that you tried to call me and it didn't work, why?"

Hoggle shrugged. "You always called us. Seems that nuffin' passes the other way."

That was a new thought, although it made sense. No power over her.

Sarah would have to initiate contact if she wanted to speak with Jareth. The thought both excited and terrified her.

An idea began to take form. "Hoggle, what if I kind of... officially give you permission to contact me, would that work?"

"Maybe. he shrugged. I ain't no expert on these things."

"Okay." She sat up as straight as she could on the bed. "I, Sarah Williams, give permission to Hoggle, Sir Didimus and Ludo to contact me when they deem necessary." Sarah preferred to keep the invitation specific; the last thing she wanted was to give their King any power over her.

Hoggle shuffled uneasily, "I appreciate this Sarah, but I won't be callin' ya back right away; no use riskin' drawin attention fer nothin'." He looked around furtively, as if he expected his king to already be behind him. "I'd better get back to work"

"Right-can't be too careful." She smiled at his nervous protectiveness before adding softly, "It's been so nice to see you again. And I promise it won't be so long between visits."

Hoggle smiled. "No hard feelings Sarah, I'm just glad that you're alright. Now I'll see if I can find out anything else; and you try and stay out of trouble." He wagged his finger at her playfully.

Sarah laughed "I'll do my best." she promised, waving.

He waved back, and vanished.

Sarah let herself fall back on her bed, put her hand through her hair and sighed. It felt good to know that she could still contact her friends from the Labyrinth, hopefully they could now contact her.

But now...

What to do about their King?

She got up and headed back to the living room, and groaned.

Tiger had knocked the rest of her supper on the floor and was trying to pick out the chicken pieces. Sarah shoed the huge cat out of the way and sighed as she began to clean up the mess.

"You know Tiger, you're almost as bad as a goblin"

...


	7. Dreaming Again?

Sarah was standing in complete darkness. She put out her hands gingerly and felt cool, rough stone against her fingertips. She could see nothing at all. Sarah wasn't normally afraid of the dark, or claustrophobic, but she felt anxious, not knowing how she had found herself in this situation.

She began slowly walking in the darkness, feeling her way along, as she tried to figure out where she was. She felt along the stone, hoping for an opening, a light source or something.

Finally she perceived a faint light in the distance, and followed it. As she approached, the pale white light began to illuminate her surroundings. She was in some sort of cave or tunnel, and the stone seemed to be embedded with glitter. Her heart began to beat faster, not daring to believe where she was. Finally she turned a corner, and entered a larger, better lit tunnel.

"TURN BACK!" A voice boomed beside her.

Sarah almost jumped out of her skin.

"YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!" another voice bellowed.

"BEWARE!" a third chimed in.

Sarah looked up at the huge stone faces of the False Alarms and half smiled, as she tried to calm her thumping heartbeat.

"Thanks for the warnings guys! But since I don't even know if I'm really here, or where I'm supposed to be going, the direction doesn't really matter, right?'

"Suit yourself!" one of them mumbled.

Sarah continued to walk along the corridor, hand lightly trailing along the stone.

There was something on the floor of the tunnel ahead of her. Curious, she knelt to inspect it. A blue cloak, a feathered hat and a beaked mask were piled haphazardly on top of each other.

She stood up and looked around nervously, was _he_ nearby? She passed the abandoned disguise, resisting the temptation to pick it up and try it on.

"Hello Sarah." The voice was like silk, and it made her shiver.

Sarah turned and saw something move in the shadows. A hint of pale hair. A glint of metal. The sheen of leather.

Sarah's breath hitched.

The Goblin King emerged from the shadows of an adjacent tunnel, so close she could see the swirly designs on the center of his pendant. Which was resting against his open-shirted chest. Sarah blushed and looked up at his face.

 _Damn he's beautiful!_ her inner voice swooned.

He smirked as he leaned in closer to her, his arm resting against the stone wall, his voice was low. "How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?"

Sarah was having trouble breathing from the proximity of him, but something niggled at the back of her mind.

Jareth's hair tickled her cheek. Sarah was distracted by the slight sheen of glitter on his lips, the urge to close the gap between them and taste those lips was almost painful. They stayed suspended in the moment before a kiss, each waiting for the other to make a move.

Sarah wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

She looked into his eyes. They were so beautiful, they made her heart flutter.

But there was something missing.

Suddenly she realized what it was. This really was only a dream. It wasn't Jareth in front of her; it was only a figment of her subconscious desires. A construct.

She sighed, and pushed against his chest, trying to gain some space to think, though the touch of his leather jacket was distracting.

 _No!_ her inner voice cried, _What are you doing! You know you've wanted to kiss him since forever!_

Sarah gazed up at the King, he was unmoving, as if suspended in time.

"You're not him" she said sadly.

 _That leather sure feels real!_ her inner voice interjected, peevishly. _I'm sure those lips would too!_

"I can't continue, knowing that it's not real" she told the voice firmly, looking into the strange, beautiful, but now vacant eyes in front of her.

Seeing that only confirmed her decision. She pushed harder, giving herself a few feet of space between her and the not-Jareth.

Her inner voice pouted. _It's not fair!_

"I want to wake up" she said loudly, looking around, her voice echoing along the tunnel.

She refused to wish - that would only open a whole new can of worms.

 _Yeah, imagine the Goblin King arriving to find you almost canoodling with his doppelganger?_ her inner voice teased.

Sarah blushed at the thought.

"Please, I want to wake up!" She banged the flat of her hand against the sparkly stone walls.

The darkness began seeping in, taking over. Just as the shape of the Goblin King disappeared into the shadows, she thought she saw him move.

...

Sarah opened her eyes, only to see Errol Flynn swashbuckling on a pirateship. She blinked and realized that she was on the couch, the TV was still on, playing late night classic movies. She looked at the wall clock, 2:13 am.

Sarah rubbed her eyes and got up, headed to the kitchen to make some tea.

A few minutes later she lounged on her couch in her Eeyore pajamas with her mug of chamomile tea. Tiger came and joined her, purring loudly. She had found him as a kitten, tangled in a neighbor's hockey net. She freed him and he adopted her, following her everywhere. She had put up a few posters to try and find his original owners, but no one called to claim him. Toby had named him Tiger because of his orange tabby markings, but more than once Sarah had thought that the now huge, goofy orange furball reminded her of Ludo.

She sipped her tea and scratched Tiger under his chin, and reflecting on her latest dream.

If she was really honest with herself, it wasn't surprising that she had dreamed of the tunnels, or the leather outfit. That event had definitely marked her subconscious. That outfit was entirely the reason why she had briefly dated a biķer when she was 19. And the reason why she had bought a reddish brown leather trench coat that she had found in a thrift store.

What was surprising was that she had been conscious of the fact that she had been dreaming. Everything had felt so real. And how had she detected that it wasn't really Jareth who was leaning in to kiss her?

The Jareth in this dream had been a decent facsimile, but it was as if he was on autopilot, simply repeating their previous encounter. There was a spark missing. That spark had been evident in her ballroom dream last night.

But tonight, it had felt almost as if she was about to kiss a wax figure, or a doll... it didn't feel right.

Still, she had to admit to herself she had wanted very much to kiss him. The real him. A lot.

How would that even work? He was a fairytale king, she doubted very much that he was human, or even mortal. Would a relationship between them even be possible? Not to forget that he was also a villain.

All of this brought Sarah back to the last moments of her time in the Labyrinth. Jareth had begged her to stay, had asked for her to love him, but also to fear him. What did he mean by that? He had promised her anything if she would stay. Promised to be her slave.

Had he meant it? Or was it just a ruse to trick her into losing?

In the ballroom, he had been like a Prince-or rather King Charming. Sweeping her off her feet, almost making her forget her brother. The look of pain on his face as she had pulled away from him had almost made her hesitate, but she had to save Toby. Had that expression been true? Or had it been a trick, to lull her into returning to his arms?

He was a trickster by nature, wasn't he? Could she trust him at all?

Sarah thought of the last seconds of this dream, the not-Jareth had seemed to move just as he disappeared. What had happened? Was it just a trick of the shadows?

This was all too much to think about. She got up and dumped the rest of her cold tea in the sink, and went to bed. Silently hoping for a dreamless sleep.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Jareth, the Labyrinth, Eeyore or Errol Flynn. I do own a secondhand brownish-red leather trench.


	8. Olive Branch

The radio was blaring Heart. Normally Sarah loved the song, but without opening her eyes, she slapped the snooze button and buried herself back in her blankets.

Her conscience nagged her. _Oh no you don't! You need a shower, and you were late for work yesterday!_

"Uhh!" she groaned. "These dreams have definitely been affecting my sleep, I feel like I've been up all night!"

Her inner voice smirked. _And you can't even blame Jareth, not directly anyway._

Sarah scowled but begrudgingly got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

The shower did revive her a bit and she went to get dressed. She chose a heather grey knit top and black jeans and braided her still damp hair.

Sarah glared slightly at Tiger as she filled his bowl, she had hoped to have leftover Thai food for lunch. Since that wasn't happening, she grabbed a package of instant noodles. Sarah looked at the clock and decided to grab a muffin from the freezer. She threw it all in her lunch bag, made sure she had her keys and headed out the door.

Traffic was actually not bad and she made it to work 15 minutes early, Carla was already at her desk, looking through a stack of papers. Carla looked up, "Hey Sarah, what brings you here so early? "

"Oh, just thought I'd make up for being late yesterday" Sarah put her purse down by her desk.

Carla smiled, "You aren't usually late, as long as you don't make a habit of it, don't worry" she added, "Oh, and I made coffee already"

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver!" Sarah grabbed her lunch bag and jogged to the break room. Sarah filled her owl mug and heated up her cranberry nut muffin. Armed with her coffee and breakfast, she went back to her desk and tried to catch up on the work that she had been too distracted to concentrate on yesterday.

Sarah was just finishing verifying billing when Carla peeked in. "Sarah do you have the receipt for the glitter ink we bought last week?"

She looked up, "It should be right here, why?"

Carla frowned, holding up a bottle. "I just realized that one of the bottles is the wrong color code, I need the receipt to return it."

Sarah began digging in the file cabinet, her hand brushed something smooth and round. She ignored it and leafed through the files.

"Here you go" Sarah closed the drawer and handed over the receipt.

Carla stuffed it in her bag, along with the bottle of ink. "I'm going to go return it right away, we need the right color to get started on that project this afternoon."

"Okay" Sarah nodded.

Carla turned to leave, but paused. "Oh, and Tina called, Danyka is sick with fever and can't go to daycare and she can't find a babysitter, so can you help with the printing after lunch?"

Sarah looked at her to-do pile. "No problem, as long as this paperwork can wait."

"You finished the billing?"

Sarah pointed at the papers that she had been working on. "Just about."

"Then good, okay, I'm out, I'll see you after lunch."

Sarah waited for her boss to leave, and then opened the drawer again. Without touching the crystal, she carefully pushed the files out of the way and looked into it. Visible inside was a piece of parchment. Written on it in elegant script was one word.

_Truce._

Sarah's eyebrows raised at that. Why would he ask for a truce? A truce meant halting hostilities, had she done anything that inadvertently caused problems in the Underground? But how? She hadn't even been there in nearly nine years.

Sarah wrote something on a piece of paper and then gingerly placed the crystal on it.

...

Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose, he was driving himself crazy checking and rechecking his crystal every few seconds to see if Sarah had responded. He had placed it on the ledge beside his throne so that he could keep an eye on it, and had declared instant bogging to anyone who dared touch it. He knew that after her surprise yesterday, Sarah had put her crystal somewhere dark. He had no way of knowing how long it would be before she looked at it again. It was a long shot, they had seen each other through the two crystals, hopefully the crystals were still connected. He needed to speak with her, this was urgent.

Suddenly he saw light flash inside the crystal, and a hand brushed against it, jerking slightly at the contact. The hand moved away, leafing through papers around it, then darkness returned.

Jareth wanted to scream in frustration, he wanted to break something, or bog something. Instead he got up and strode around the throneroom, kicking any goblins who had the misfortune of not getting out of the way fast enough. He noticed one particular chicken glaring at him, and kicked it even harder. The goblins watched in awe as she went soaring out the window, she plummeted for a while, until she remembered she had wings, and deployed them to slow her fall. A few of the goblins held up score cards, 10, 9, 9, 6, 10. Jareth frowned at the horned goblin holding the 6, the goblin looked down at his card, and turned it around nervously.

"That's better!" Jareth stepped towards a window and was just about to transform into an owl to go burn off some energy when a potbellied goblin with tusks and a spikey helmet yelled "Kingy, look!" It was pointing excitedly at the crystal, careful not to touch it though.

Jareth bounded back to his throne and looked into the crystal. She had placed it on a piece of paper.

Two words.

_Why? How?_

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the unnamed glaring chicken is a reference to Rosalinda from Lixxle's hilarious My Fine Feathered Friend. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?


	9. Unexpected Visits

(A short while earlier)

Hoggle was walking along the tunnels, taking a shortcut home from Goblin City. He was looking forward to a nice evening. He had invited Sir Didimus and Ludo over for supper, and he was going to tell them the good news about being able to contact Sarah. He had just passed the False Alarms when he heard booted footsteps echoing up ahead. He scrambled back into a side tunnel and hid.

From his hiding place Hoggle saw the Goblin King approaching, he seemed quite out of sorts. Mumbling to himself, he walked past Hoggle in his hiding place and headed down the passage Hoggle had just left. Filled with curiosity Hoggle carefully followed at a distance.

"BEWARE!" came the familiar warning.

Jareth jumped and put a finger to the ear that had been closest. "No need for such bellowing old chap, this is the fifth time you have assaulted my eardrums today""

"Only doing our job" it mumbled.

"Well, I do not need such warnings!" the King answered testily as he strode off.

"Nobody pays attention to us anymore!" a stone face sulked.

Hoggle came up and patted its stone cheek, "Now now, perk up. You know that's part of yer job."

The face to the right stuck out its lower lip. "Yes, but it still hurts to be ignored most of the time. There hasn't been a good nervous runner in ages!"

Hogging nodded. "True, but think, ya got Jareth to jump, that's sumfin! "

"I suppose" the first said moodily, but he did look a bit cheered.

Hoggle turned back towards home, his bag of supplies over his shoulder. He had even bought a bit of ale, and he was looking forward to sharing it with his friends. Just as he had almost reached the hidden exit to the tunnel he saw a crystal appear, rolling towards his feet. He sighed and picked it up, the King's face appeared.

"Hedgekin, are you in the tunnels?" As caretaker of the gate, Hoggle was used to Jareth checking in on him.

"It's Hoggle! And yes Sir! I was on me way home, why?"

"Anything to report?" He sounded bored.

Hoggle shrugged. "No, and you just passed here anyways, why you askin' me?"

"What are you talking about Hogbrain?" Now the king seemed annoyed.

Exasperated, Hoggle yelled. "It's Hoggle! And you was talking to the False Alarms not two minutes ago!"

Suddenly the King disappeared from the crystal, only to reappear in front of Hoggle a moment later.

"Where did you see me go Hogwart?" Now Jareth looked alarmed.

Hoggle stamped his foot, "Ugh, it's Hoggle! And what do you mean?"

Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose. "I mean that the person that you saw was not me!"

Hoggle was confused, he looked at his King and noticed that his clothes were different, Jareth was now wearing black head to toe, whereas with the False Alarms he had been wearing a brown leather jacket and grey pants. He shrugged, the King changed his clothes so often it was hard to keep track.

"Well, you went that way" Hoggle pointed behind him.

Jareth turned in that direction. "Follow me Hedwig!"

Hoggle just sighed in exasperation and followed, wondering when he was going to get to enjoy his ale.

They once again arrived at the False Alarms. The stone faces frowned slightly, but pursed their lips and didn't say anything.

Jareth put his hands on his hips, "Falling down on the job are you boys?"

One of them frowned in confusion. "But, you just said..."

"Forget whatever I just said, warn everyone, no exceptions."

"Yes your Majesty! ...BEWARE!" it bellowed happily.

"That's better!" Jareth said approvingly as he continued cautiously down the corridor, Hoggle at his heels.

Soon they slowed, as they heard footsteps ahead of them. Hoggle wondered why Jareth seemed to be creeping around his own kingdom. They tiptoed until they reached a corner and peeked around it carefully.

There, only a short distance ahead, was the Goblin King, kneeling to inspect his abandoned disguise on the floor.

Hoggle looked from one king to the other and turned and ran as fast as his short legs could carry him.

...

Sarah was staring at the crystal on her desk, waiting for an answer when she heard a crash coming from the supply room.

And a high pitched voice, "Oups!"

A second, rougher voice whispered loudly, "Careful, ya nitwit!"

She ran into the room "Hoggle!?"

"Er, hello Sarah" he shuffled, embarrassed, there were a few bottles of ink strewn on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, thankful that the bottles had not burst

He looked hurt at her words, "Ya don't wanna see me?"

She knelt down to hug him "No, of course I'm happy to see you! I'm just surprised to see you here"

"I tried your mirror first, but ya weren't there. So I asked this one to help me." Hoggle pointed his thumb behind him.

"Goblins don't need mirror." said a tiny goblin with a cracked flower pot on it's head. It climbed onto a crate of paper and waved at her, "Hello Lady!"

Sarah smiled, it was cute, in a weird sort of way. "What's your name?"

The goblin gave a shy smile, "Me's Pottsy"

Sarah shook its hand, "Nice to meet you Pottsy. But, how did you find me? You've never been here before?"

"I called fer ya, Pottsy opened this portal, it broughts me here!" Hoggle pointed to an open air grate behind him.

"Oh boy!" she scratched her head, thinking, _I'm going to have to add a qualifier to that invitation, only when I'm home._

Hoggle twisted his hands together. "Sarah, there's trouble, I don't know what goin' on, but there's two of him!"

"What!" Sarah didn't need to ask of who. Her legs felt wobbly, she sat on another crate of paper. "Are you sure?"

Hoggles eyes were bulging more than normal as he nodded. "I sees it wif me own two eyes!"

A sudden voice from the doorway almost made Sarah jump out of her skin, "Sarah, who are you talking to?"

"Um…nobody?" Sarah was immensely relieved that a large filing cabinet blocked her boss's view, she couldn't see Hoggle or Pottsy.

"I heard talking in here" Carla was looking around suspiciously.

"Yes, Carla, I um… was just mumbling to myself, while I pick up this mess, I knocked over some bottles while checking some inventory."

Carla didn't looked convinced.

Sarah tried to change the subject. "You're back early!"

"Yes, I was two blocks down when I realized that I had forgotten my wallet. When I came back in I thought I heard a man's voice" She looked at Sarah pointedly.

Sarah shrugged, feigning innocence. "Maybe it was across the hall?"

Carla looked at her funny, then shrugged. "I'll be back at one"

"See you later." Sarah called after her.

Sarah waited to make sure that she was gone, and then turned her attention back to her surprise visitors. "I am really glad to see you "she whispered, "but there will be trouble if anybody sees you here."

"I should be gettin' back before I'm missed anyway." Hoggle grumbled. He turned and headed for the grate and then looked back at Sarah. "Just you be careful Sarah!"

"I will." She promised.

He and Pottsy went through the grate, there was a small puff of glitter as they closed it behind them,

Out of curiosity Sarah kneeled to see in the grate, but the blackness gave no indication whether she was seeing into the Underground or just the air vent. As Sarah picked up the bottles and swept up the glitter she mused. Two kings? How? And if the note in her crystal was any indication, Jareth thought she was responsible.

It was impossible, wasn't it?

She went back to her desk and looked at the crystal. Visible within were two words.

"Call me"

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't own Labyrinth, not making money.
> 
> I do own my OCs though (So what do you think of Pottsy?)


	10. Seeing Double

Sarah paced the floor of her office, debating what to do.

There was trouble in the Labyrinth, and it was possibly her fault. She wanted to help. But... to call on Jareth...could it be a trap?...should she risk it?

Her inner voice asked her, _If you don't help, and something bad happens, could you live with yourself?_

__

__

_No._

Her mind made up, Sarah jogged to the tiny bathroom. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm her nerves.

Finally she faced the old discolored mirror and said clearly "I wish to speak with Jareth, King of the Goblins."

The mirror rippled, and Sarah gasped at what she saw.

The image in the mirror was split, on one side was Jareth, lounging on his throne wearing black leather breaches and a black ruffled shirt, the crystal and parchment on the ledge beside his throne. On the other side was Jareth wearing the same leather jacket and grey tights as in her dream, he was in the tunnels.

Wide eyed, "Um..." was all she could utter.

"Sarah" they said in unison, before continuing to speak at the same time. Sarah couldn't make out what they were each saying, but she noticed that they didn't seem to hear each other. The one in black stepped down from the throne and began to approach her, she worried that he would try to cross.

An idea popped into her head, she just hoped desperately that it would work.

Sarah spoke quickly. "Okay... umm...There seems to be a problem with the mirror, I can't hear you properly, I'll call back later! Bye!" It wasn't a lie, she couldn't understand a word with them talking at the same time.

Both Jareths resumed talking just as the mirror rippled again. Once again only her reflection stared back, Sarah sighed in relief.

Suddenly she realized that she had basically just hung up on the Goblin King.

Two Goblin Kings.

Sarah bit her lip nervously. "Oh boy, I hope that he...um...they aren't too angry at me!"

She paused and thought of the implications of what had just happened. She had called for Jareth, the Goblin King. Both had answered.

How was it possible?

...

Jareth sat on his throne and fumed. How dare she cut communication on him!

He tried to open the portal again, but it would not budge. He tried to see Sarah through a crystal, still didn't work.

He threw the crystal at the wall in frustration.

The goblins were used to their King's dramatics and ignored him, continuing their game of chase the chicken. The chicken was not amused, and was frantically pecking everything within her reach.

Jareth formed another crystal, and tried to view his double. It didn't work either. Now he was surprised, he was used to things never working as expected with Sarah. But why couldn't he view this imposter?

...

Sarah leaned on the sink trying to think. If there were two of them, which one was the original?

If it was somehow her fault, from her dream last night, then how did it happen? And how had the construct become true?

If the one from her dream was the copy, then the Jareth that she had seen in the throneroom was the original.

Before she could doubt her decision Sarah spoke.

"I wish to be in the throneroom in the castle in the center of the Labyrinth, right now!"

As she the bathroom began to fade from her vision, her last thought was _I hope I wont regret this!_

...


	11. Risks and Revelations

"Ouf!...Ow!"

Sarah rubbed her bruised behind and looked up from her awkward position to see the Goblin King perched regaly on his throne. She thought she saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes before a frown took its place. She looked around and realized that she had landed sprawled in the pit in the center of the throneroom. The goblins had all paused in whatever mischief they had been doing and were watching her with curiosity. As Sarah struggled to get upright she heard a high pitched voice yell excitedly.

"It's the Lady!" Sarah recognized Pottsy waving at her.

A green haired goblin grumbled, "What Lady?"

"The Sarah Lady!" Pottsy exclaimed proudly, hands on hips.

At that, the tusked goblin regarded Sarah nervously, "Yous not gonna knock the city down again, are ya?"

"No!" She reassured them, "I promise."

"Okay, are you gonna be Queen then?" Pottsy had approached her and was tugging at her jeans excitedly.

"Ummm?... What?" Sarah glanced back up at Jareth, he did not look amused.

Her inner voice squeaked _Oh crap!_

"Enough!" His voice echoed through the throne room and out along the corridors beyond. Glaring at his goblins, he ordered "Anyone who is not Sarah has exactly five seconds to be out of my sight." The goblins scrambled for the door, bumping into each other in their haste to exit. Pottsy waved again from the doorway before disappearing down the corridor.

Left alone with an irate Goblin King, Sarah would have liked to disappear too.

Said Goblin King put his fingers to his temples. "Sarah, would you mind explaining why you so rudely cut communication a moment ago?"

"Umm.." Sarah pursed her lips and fidgeted.

"And would you have any idea why there is an imposter in my realm?" His voice was calm, but his raised eyebrow was accusing.

Sarah grimaced. "Would you believe that those two questions are related?"

The eyebrow raised higher. "How so?"

Sarah took a deep breath. "You see... I saw your message in the crystal and I went to a mirror and called for you"

"Yes, and?" He gestured to continue.

"And two of you appeared."

Jareth stilled as he processed that information. "It is worse than I feared. That would explain why I cannot track him with my crystals"

"Why?" She asked nervously.

He sighed heavily. "Because one cannot spy on oneself. For some reason my crystals are unable to distinguish between myself and this pretender."

An idea formed in Sarah's mind, but she debated whether to speak up.

She still wasn't sure how much she could trust Jareth and his mercurial temperament. Since her arrival he had been rather cool and aloof to her. And very short tempered with his goblins. But at the same time, he had just confided in her that there was probable danger that he could not track, he was admitting a weakness.

_Well... I'm already here, without any certainty on how to get back. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess._

Jareth was watching the emotions play across her face with interest.

Finally she spoke. "Umm...if I tried to look... do you think it could work?"

"Highly irregular, but it might." With a sly smile, Jareth formed a new crystal and tossed it to Sarah.

Sarah caught it and gulped as she eyed the crystal in her palm. She looked up at Jareth nervously. "So... how does it work?"

Suddenly Jareth's voice was right behind her, his breath grazing her ear. "Think of who you are looking for while gazing into the sphere."

Sarah tried to ignore the shiver his proximity had just caused and concentrated on looking into the crystal, thinking about the Jareth-shaped thing in the tunnels. Inside appeared the image of the Goblin King, sitting on a sparkly boulder, head in hands, apparently muttering to himself."

"Well, at least we know he's not getting into any trouble at the moment." Sarah said hopefully.

Jareth was observing the crystal from over her shoulder. "Now, think back slowly, we want to see how he got there."

Sarah's cheeks became quite warm.

Jareth noticed, with a sly smile he spoke. "Sarah, would you have had anything to do with it?

Flustered, she sputtered. "I... um...I mean...ugh!...Okay...I dreamed of the Labyrinth again last night."

"And?" Jareth seemed to be enjoying watching her squirm.

"And I dreamt of you..and... I don't know how, but I think the Jareth in my dream somehow became real."

Jareth's face became pensive. "Sarah...I have something to tell you. But you may not like it"

As Sarah was expecting him to be angry, the careful tone in which he spoke surprised her. He sounded almost apologetic. He sat down on the throne and indicated the spot beside him. She hesitated.

He sighed. "Please sit down Sarah."

Sarah pointed at the throne. "Uhh, are you sure?"

"It is the only clean seat in the room." He smirked slightly.

Sarah had to admit that he was right. Hesitantly she joined him on the trone, placing herself on the very edge. There was silence for a long moment. Sarah stared absentmindedly out a window, trying to ignore where she was sitting and with whom.

When the Goblin King finally spoke, his voice was gentle. "Have you ever noticed the similarities between the denizens of the Labyrinth and some of the objects of your childhood room?"

Sarah scrunched her eyebrows. "Yes...I thought it was odd."

Jareth pursed his lips, "Well, it wasn't a coincidence."

"What?... How?" She almost dropped the crystal she was still holding, she put it down between them.

Jareth continued. "You are and always have been a person with a very vivid imagination. When you picture the things in your books and stories, they become very real to you."

Sarah's eyes bulged. "Are you saying...that I invented everything?"

He shook his head. "Not everything, the Labyrinth existed long before you, as did the goblins and myself. But this whole realm is a place formed and maintained by imagination."

There was a lump in her throat. She swallowed. "And?"

Jareth leaned forward and steepled his fingers, "As you may have noticed, the Labyrinth is a very fluid place, it changes and adapts somewhat to each runner. However your imagination is so strong that it had some surprising results."

Sarah was afraid of the answer, but she needed to know. "Like what?"

"Like the bog, for one." He wrinkled his nose at the thought.

Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him skeptically. "It didn't exist before?"

"Oh, it did, and it was always a putrid thing. But when you heard its name, it appears that you imagined the worst diaper changing horror stories and the bog adjusted to your expectations." He made a slight grimace. "The sound effects were also new."

Sarah sputtered. "I did that?!... "

He nodded.

"Oh... So, my imagination and my expectations affected the landscape." She looked at him apprehensively. "Anything else I should know about?"

He pursed his lips together, and Sarah could see that he was choosing his words carefully. "You looked for help... and found it because you were looking for it."

"Do you mean that I invented my friends?" Her voice trembled.

"Not exactly, Hoggle the dwarf existed already, posted at the outer gate, but your preconceived idea of what a dwarf looked like affected his appearance."

"What did he look like before?"

Jareth smirked. "Actually not much different, he just had red hair and a beard, and a bigger potbelly."

That mental image caused Sarah to snort. "And the others?"

"Years ago a hunting dog and a red fox had been wished away. When you arrived, they took similar forms to your beloved dog and your fox knight toy."

"And Ludo?"

"Until your arrival Ludo was a medium sized hairy goblin, his sudden change in stature caused quite a commotion. As did his newfound ability to call rocks." He paused, his slight smirk faded. "So you can see why when strange things began happening again after seeing you in your dream, I suspected you might have had something to do with it, albeit unintentional."

Sarah's eyes had filled with tears. "So this is my fault, I came here nine years ago and wreaked havoc, and now I came back and made it worse!"

Jareth inched closer and put his arm around her. One of her tears broke free, Jareth wiped it away with a gloved finger. "Sarah, don't blame yourself. Your friends are happy with their lives now, and in the case of Sir Didimus, you actually managed to increase his speech capacities enormously which is quite a feat. And over time the power of the Labyrinth changes most of its denizens anyway, if they don't control it. How do you think so many of them came to look so strange?

Sarah's tears began falling freely. "What kind of a monster am I then, to change and control others on a subconscious whim?"

Jareth lifted her chin with his finger tips, gazing into her teary eyes he asked "Do you think that I am a monster?"

She looked back into his eyes. Sapphire and ice was how she had once described them. But they were not cold, in fact, his gaze made her feel suddenly warm. She blushed. "N-no...at least, not anymore."

"You and I have more in common than you would think." Jareth let go of her chin and wiped her remaining tears away. They sat in silence for a moment as Sarah pondered his words. Finally she broke the silence.

"So do you know how I made your doppelganger then?"

Jareth let his arm fall from around her, "I'm not certain, If you don't mind telling me what happened in your dream, maybe we could figure it out."

Sarah's face become scarlet again.

Jareth's smirk had returned, but it was gentle. "Oh, would you rather not?"

Sarah gathered her thoughts, they had to fix this, even if it was embarrassing. "Um... well... It was just... like when we met in the tunnels during my run. Except different. I was in darkness and then slowly I could see a little, and I began to suspect that I was in the tunnels. Then I met the False Alarms again... I saw your costume that you had used... and then I saw you..."

"And?" He prodded.

"You said "Hello Sarah, how are you enjoying my Labyrinth?" And you leaned over me, like you did...and...I..."

Sarah wasn't sure how to continue. How do you tell the Goblin King that you were tempted to kiss him?

Her inner voice quipped. _Especially since he looks rather kissable right now!_

Jareth noticed her embarrassment and a small rueful smile appeared on his lips. "Do you know that I had been sorely tempted to kiss you at that moment of your run?"

Sarah's eyes went wide. "You were?"

"Yes, your fiery green eyes and impudent mouth were intoxicating... but... you were too young... and you saw me as a villain."

Sarah's stomach flip-flopped at his confession. Then she remembered something and gave him a playful poke on the arm. "Well, when I dissed your Labyrinth you sent the cleaners after me and stole three hours, I'd say that makes you a villain."

Jareth smirked at that. "Point taken... although, I really was only fulfilling your expectations of villainy." He took her hand in his. "You know, I would never have let true harm come to you."

"Really?" She looked at him, sceptical. But his uneven blue eyes were gazing at her in disconcerting sincerity.

"Yes, if the cleaners would have reached you, you would have automatically forfeited the game, and you would have been sent home."

Sarah looked down, fidgeting. "But Toby would have stayed here."

"Yes." He said simply.

She looked up again. "Would... would you have turned him into a goblin?"

He almost smiled. "No, as you can see, I have more than enough of those already... but over time the Labyrinth would change him, as it has changed me. If he had stayed, I would have made him my heir."

"Oh!" All this new information was sending her for a loop. Then she thought of something. "Are, or were, you human?"

Before he could answer there was a large poof of glitter in the doorway.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything except my OCs


	12. Glitter and Crystals and Fluff (Oh My!)

The Goblin King had been wandering the tunnels for awhile, trying to figure out what had happened. He sat down on a boulder and tried to make some sense of his memories, which were decidedly foggy. He remembered finding himself in a dark tunnel, just in time to see a dark haired girl disappear. Sarah... that was her name. Then he had wandered around trying to remember anything else. He had spoken with the stone faces, the... False Alarms... yes.. that's it! Then he had found a pile of costumes, abandoned on the floor. Just as he had kneeled to inspect it, he had heard footsteps running away and seen a poof of glitter. A while after that a wall of mist had appeared and he saw the girl again, but when he tried to speak with her she disappeared. Just recently he felt as if he was being watched, but could not find the source. He decided to return to the False Alarms.

A voice boomed. "BEWARE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE!"

The Goblin King put a finger to the offended ear, "Did I not ask you to cease assaulting my eardrums?"

The stone face frowned in confusion. "But you just said..."

"I said what?" He raised an eyebrow in irritation.

"To warn everyone, no matter what"

"Did I?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

The stony eyebrows furrowed. "Why yes... you were just here with that dwarf."

"Someone has been impersonating me!" He disappeared in a poof of glitter..

...

The cloud of glitter dissipated revealing The Goblin King arrayed in full armour. His eyes narrowed as he noted Jareth and Sarah still seated on the throne. His voice was glacial as he glared. "What is the meaning of this?"

Jareth leapt to his feet, instinctively transforming into his armour and placed himself between Sarah and the intruder.

Now Sarah was seeing double. The two Goblin Kings glared at each other then began circling the pit, identical ebony breastplates shimmering, identical tattered high-collared capes flowing around them in the wind that suddenly battered the throneroom. Outside a window lighting flashed.

A couple of goblins peeked in the doorway, took one look at the two glaring, glittering monarchs and they fell over one another scrambling down the hallway.

Sarah watched the spectacle and frowned, although quite impressive, this was not helping. Now she was no longer sure which was which.

Finally they stopped circling and one of them formed a crystal. "Show your true form, or I shall be forced to attack!"

"This is my true form, you show yourself, Imposter!" He sneered, then also formed a crystal.

Sarah looked from one to the other frantically. The air felt charged. She couldn't tell them apart and now they were going to fight? The idea of Jareth getting hurt terrified her.

Her inner voice screamed _You did this somehow, fix it!_

_But how? I don't even know how I caused it in the first place!_

One of the Goblin Kings began to spin the crystal in his hand, sparks began to form. Sarah rushed towards them, hands outstretched, and screamed "STOP!"

They both turned to look at her, startled by the interruption.

Sarah kept her hands out imploringly but her eyes were glaring daggers. "Both of you stand down! Do not harm one another!"

The Jareth on the left seemed to be afronted by her tone, while the other smirked almost approvingly.

She took a deep breath and spoke, desperately hoping that these were the right words. "I wish for the two beings before me to return to as they were before bed last night"

The Jareth on the right looked nervous at that.

Sarah watched dumbfounded as the left-Jareth shrunk... and shrunk... and shrunk... and shrunk...and got hairier, until all that was left was a football sized ball of beige and white fur.

At the same time on the right Sarah saw a poof, she looked up to see Jareth wearing navy blue silk pajama pants and his pendant. And nothing else.

Sarah turned away, blushing furiously. "I.. I'm sorry, I didn't think that one through, did I?"

"Not a problem, I did manage to salvage some propriety." He indicated the pants.

Sarah blanched. To try to distract herself from the proximity of the half-dressed Goblin King she bent to inspect the ball of fluff, it looked like a cat-sized hamster. She heard Jareth's incredulous voice say "Fluffy?"

Sarah was confused, "You recognize it?"

Jareth nodded. "Yes, he was wished away by your neighbor a month after your run. He had taken up residence in the tunnels."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "He wasn't always this big, right?"

"Correct, the Labyrinth had already begun to affect him." He seemed unperturbed by the idea of giant hamsters roaming his kingdom.

Sarah struggled to keep a straight face. "You know that if he keeps growing you're going to be dealing with R.O.U.S.'s in your Labyrinth."

The Goblin King tilted his head in inquiry. "I'm not familiar with that phrase."

Sarah burst out laughing. "Oh...sorry... um...rodents of unusual size... It's from a movie."

Jareth's expression said clearly _I am not amused_. Sarah smothered another laugh and turned her attention back to Fluffy, who on closer inspection had two different colored eyes and seemed to have a bit of a mullet. "Was he always odd-eyed?"

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "No actually, that was a recent development."

She smirked. "I think Fluffy looks up to you."

Jareth smirked back. "That might have been a contributing factor to his transformation."

Sarah frowned in confusion. "But...how...even if I had somehow shaped him into...your shape...How did he... become you?

Fluffy began inching away to inspect a fallen jug of goblin ale, Sarah noticed something glitter underneath him. She bent to pick it up. When she held it up, both she and Jareth were stunned.

It was Jareth's pendant.

But Jareth was still wearing his pendant.

Sarah looked back and forth between the two, "How?..were there always two of them?"

"No." Jareth was staring at the pendant in her hand. He turned to her, "What happened next in your dream?"

"What?" Sarah was confused by the apparent change of subject.

Jareth sighed. "After I asked you "How are you enjoying my Labyrinth", what happened?"

Sarah's blush returned. "Well, you leaned in and I thought you were going to kiss me."

"And?" Jareth did not quite manage to hide his smirk.

Sarah looked at the half dressed Goblin King and sighed, "But you halted, as if you were waiting for me to kiss you...Honestly I wanted to... but I felt something was off. I realized that it wasn't you. As soon as that happened the Goblin King in front of me froze. I stepped away and wanted to wake up. Then as my dream disappeared, I thought I saw you move again."

Jareth pondered her words. "Sarah...I believe that you didn't just dream of the tunnels, you were here"

Her eyes bulged. "What... how?"

"You've had a connection to the Labyrinth ever since you won. Just now, I didn't bring you here, you came under your own power. It is likely that last night you began dreaming of the Labyrinth, of our encounter in those tunnels. You desired to see me, unwittingly transporting yourself to the tunnels and transforming a passing creature into my likeness. But the transformation was not yet complete and you saw that it was lacking. When you doubted it, it halted the transformation."

Sarah continued, understanding. "But unconsciously I still wished that it could be you, and so the transformation completed, but only just as I was leaving.

"Your imagination is quite strong, not only did it transform Fluffy into my likeness, it gave him intelligence, and some sense of myself and even my powers, and recreated my pendant."

Sarah looked at the pendant in her hand. "Why didn't it disappear like everything else when he changed back?"

"Because you somehow created a true twin to my pendant, once made it cannot be destroyed. It is the symbol of my office. And the reason why when you called for the Goblin King, that we both appeared."

Sarah looked at the pendant in her hand, and then held it out to Jareth. "This belongs to you then."

Jareth held out his own, "I already have one." He smirked.

"All of this because you wanted to kiss me..." He approached her slowly and raised his hand, tenderly tracing his gloveless fingers across her cheek. "You could have just asked Precious" his smirk was gentle as he leaned towards her.

Sarah looked into his eyes, in the uneven blue tones she saw desire, but also something more. She tilted her face up towards him, absent-mindedly licking her lips. He saw the movement and lightly grazed her bottom lip with his thumb. She shivered. She could feel his breath on her lips. She closed the gap tentatively, their lips just brushing. He pulled her against him and deepend the kiss. Sarah stuffed the pendant in her pocket to free her hands and slid them in his hair; it was soft as down and smooth as silk. She lowered one hand and and placed it on his chest. His still bare chest, and heard him hiss with pleasure at her touch. She slid her arms around him tightly. This kiss was heaven, she didn't want to ever let go.

Suddenly they heard a gruff voice bark. "What's going on?"

A high pitched voice questioned, "Is the Lady going to be Queen?!"

A more gravely voice asked, "Where did other Kingy go?"

They reluctantly broke the kiss and realized that they were surrounded by curious, joyful goblins.

Flushing, Sarah moved to back away but Jareth held her tight with one arm while the other hand formed a crystal. He dropped it and suddenly they were once again alone in the throne room.

At her worried look he assured her. "They have simply been sent the city, that is all."

He put both arms around her again, his intense gaze was giving her butterflies. His voice was low. "Now... shall we continue?" Sarah's voice was suddenly MIA, so she nodded her assent as he pulled her even closer and resumed kissing her breathless.

When they finally paused for breath, Sarah dazedly noted that Jareth had poofed back into the black leather pants and black ruffled shirt from earlier. He led her towards the throne and he sat down, gently tugging her to sit on his lap. She relented and rested against him, savoring the feeling of being close to him. An unbidden thought caused her to tense, she was canoodling with the Goblin King, on his throne, with no idea if he was going to let her go home.

Jareth sensed her stiffen and spoke into her ear. "What is the matter Precious?"

Sarah's voice was small. "I need to get back."

He sighed and turned her so that they could face one another. "Sarah, do you truly think that I would trap you here?"

She bit her lip nervously. "Well...the last time when you asked me to stay, it did seem to be an all or nothing proposition."

His eyes got a faraway look. "And where did it get me? Alone in my shattered castle." His gaze snapped back to her. "I would not make the same mistake again."

"How could this even work? You're a fairytale king, and I'm just..." her words faltered.

He raised his hand to graze her cheek. "Sarah... you are a force to be reckoned with, this whole fiasco proves it. I am certain that we can figure something out."

She leaned into his touch, cracking a small smile. He pulled her back against him and whispered. "Just allow me to savour this a little longer. Then I promise to return you to your desk, before your absence is noted."

Sarah began to nod, but was interrupted by a yawn. "Okay."

Jareth wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her temple. He whispered, "As you wish"

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I don't own... the Labyrinth... spare Jareths... The Princess Bride... R.O.U.S.'s.


	13. A Whole New World

Sarah slowly became conscious of Carla shaking her shoulder.

"Sarah, are you ok?"

Sarah looked up flushed and confused, she was slumped over her desk. When had she fallen asleep?

"What time is it?" Sarah asked groggly.

"1: 03" Carla had her hands on her hips. "Have you even had lunch?"

"No" Sarah mumbled sheepishly

Carla took her by the arm and led her to the break room. Sarah opened her lunch bag and pulled out the contents. Carla eyed the instant noodles disapprovingly but said nothing as she turned the kettle on. Sitting down she asked "What's wrong Sarah? You've been so distracted this past couple of days, and I think you haven't been sleeping or eating enough. You don't usually fall asleep at work."

"I'm fine!" Sarah scowled, crossing her arms.

Carla glared at her, not buying it.

Sarah tried giving a partial answer. "Okay, okay, so I haven't slept well the past couple of days and because of my cat, most of my supper ended up on the floor last night"

"Is that all?... Are you sure there isn't a guy involved?" There was a glint in her eyes, sure that she was on to something.

"What!" Sarah was sure her blush was giving her away.

"Come on Sarah, the way you've been mooning around? I would have to be blind not to see." She was clearly hoping for details.

"Not your business." Sarah snapped, frowning.

"There is a guy! I knew it," Carla looked about to barrage her with more questions when the kettle whistled. Sarah got up and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and poured the noodles and water in. Taking a spoon from the drawer and an apple from the counter she sat back down and began to eat, ignoring Carla's questions.

Seeing that Sarah had clammed up Carla looked at the clock. "Okay fine, we need to get back to work. Eat, and after we'll get those those glitter print t-shirts done."

"Working, not interrogating, right?" Sarah frowned, sometimes Carla was worse than Karen.

Carla pouted but went back to her desk, leaving Sarah alone with her thoughts.

As she ate, she reflected on what had happened. It seemed so preposterous, an insidious fear crept in.

What if it had only been a dream?

Her inner voice quipped. _If that was a dream, what the heck did Carla put in the coffee this morning?_

She finished her noodles, washed the dishes in the mini sink, picked up the apple and headed back to her desk.

Arriving she noticed that the crystal and paper were still on her desk. She looked inside. There was a new message on the parchment.

It read "May I take you out to dinner tonight?"

Sarah clapped her hand over her mouth to contain her squeal. She flipped her paper over and quickly wrote her answer. Then got up and headed to the workshop area to help Carla.

...

Jareth read her answer and smiled. He went to his chambers to prepare for the evening.

...

Sarah spent the rest of the afternoon printing t-shirts, skirting Carla's questions and daydreaming about a certain smexy Goblin King.

At five o clock Sarah finished cleaning up the machines, took off her smock and headed for the bathroom to freshen up. She unbraided and finger combed her hair and dug in her pocket for some lip gloss. Something else was there. Pulling it out she saw the pendant.

Not sure what to think about that, she put it back and put on her lip gloss.

Sarah and Carla had just locked up when they heard a smooth, accented voice say "Hello Sarah."

She turned around to see Jareth and her jaw dropped.

Jareth was wearing fitted dark grey slacks and a royal blue dress shirt open at the neck, he had the jacket tossed casually over his shoulder. His hair looked a bit shorter, a bit darker and was combed back except for the front, which was swept to the side just grazing his eyes, which Sarah belatedly noticed were bare of any sparkly markings. His sly smile as he noted her checking him out caused Sarah's cheeks to warm and her heart to flutter.

Carla looked him over and then looked at Sarah with an expression that clearly said O.M.G!

"So you're the mystery man." She extended her hand to greet him. "Hi, I'm Carla."

"Miss Carla, pleased to make your acquaintance." He took her hand and kissed it.

Carla blushed. "Uh...likewise..and you are..?"

"Pardon my manners, you may call me Jareth" He turned to Sarah, "Ready to go Precious?"

"Yes." She figured they'd better get going before Carla began swooning. "See you tomorrow Carla." Taking Jareth's arm, she waved to Carla and began walking down the sidewalk. From the look of envy and curiosity that Carla was giving her, Sarah knew she was going to get grilled tomorrow.

They began walking down the sidewalk. Sarah pulled the pendant out of her pocket. "So, your Majesty, it seems that I still have the symbol of your office on my person."

Jareth smirked, "Well, your Majesty, it is befitting of the Champion of the Labyrinth."

At that, Sarah stopped walking and turned to face him, poking his chest. "Whoa! Wait a minute, I never agreed to be your Queen!, I agreed to go to dinner!"

Jareth held out a hand, asking for a pause. "Do not worry, keeping the pendant does not make you my queen. You are still free to choose if and when you would like to lake that step."

Sarah put her hand to her temple. "Okay, now I'm confused!"

Jareth indicated a nearby bench and they sat down. "Sarah, you beat my Labyrinth, you can transport yourself between our worlds, you have the power to transform my realm and its inhabitants, your quick thinking avoided possible conflict and injury this afternoon. I believe that you are already Queen. That pendant belongs to you. No matter what our relationship status."

Seeing her eyes widen with panic, he gently took both of her hands in his. "You do not have to decide all of this tonight." He looked into her eyes, "But if you allow me, I am asking permission to court you."

Sarah's mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she managed to make a sound. "I...Jareth...you want to court me?"

A brow arched sarcastically. "Kissing you in my throneroom wasn't enough of an indication?"

Sarah was beginning to wonder if red wasn't becoming her default face color. "...It's just that...dating means that you are considering this person as a potential life partner. And then there's your kingdom to consider and the goblins, and..." She blanched. "... is there politics in the Underground?"

His hands tightened on hers. "I am not asking for you to run away with me tonight Sarah. I simply wish for us to get to know each other better. I promise to answer all of your questions to the best of my ability."

Sarah bit her lip and placed her hand on his chest. She gently grasped his shirt and pulled him closer so that they were eye to eye. She brought her lips to his in a brief but tender kiss.

"I accept." She said finally, pleased to see that her reaction had surprised him.

He quickly recovered and grinned. "So, since you asked to choose our destination this evening, where are we headed?"

Sarah looked thoughtful. "Well, since I didn't get to finish my supper yesterday, how do you feel about Thai food?"

He arched a brow. "I've never had the opportunity to try it"

Grinning Sarah began to count off her fingers. "Okay, so do you want to try the very spicy, medium spicy or mild?"

Jareth wiggled his eyebrows at her. "You should know that I am anything but mild."

Sarah blushed and snorted, "Whatever." as she took his arm and steered them in the direction of her favorite restaurant, looking forward to take-out and TV and watching the Goblin King try chopsticks.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering what Jareth's hair looks like in this scene, go check out the Time will Crawl video.


	14. Cars, Cats and Chopsticks

The girl at the cash smiled as they entered. "Hey! Didn't expect to see you back so soon."

She shrugged, "Yeah Tia, me neither, but thanks to my cat last night's supper ended up on the floor, so..."

Nodding towards Jareth Tia asked. "Two General Thai medium spicy?"

"Yes, please." Sarah began to dig in her purse.

Tia rang in her order but before Sarah could find her wallet Jareth intercepted, "Allow me, I did invite you after all."

He pulled a billfold out of his pocket and paid for their take-out, leaving a generous tip. Tia regarded Jareth approvingly and gave Sarah a meaningful look as she handed her the boxes. "Enjoy your evening."

Sarah blushed and mumbled "Um, thanks." as she accepted the boxes with one hand and took Jareth's extended hand with the other. As they walked to her car Sarah's curiosity got the better of her. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you get Aboveground currency?... It's not an illusion is it?"

He sighed. "Sarah, I understand that you have spent the better part of nine years believing me to be a villain. But... as your suitor, I would hardly be winning your favor if I were to cause you problems in your favorite restaurant. As to your first question, in every realm there are always establishments where one can exchange items of value for coin. This one was called Pawn Shop."

"Sorry, I shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions." Sarah mused over his words and kept walking. Arriving at her car, Sarah unlocked the doors and noticed that the King of the Goblins was regarding her old blue sedan dubiously.

"This is your method of transportation?" He was eyeing the rust on the edge of her fender with distaste.

She frowned at him. "Considering the state of your throneroom, you have no right to judge. At least my car is clean! And I don't have the luxury of poufing around like you do"

"Have you already forgotten that you transported yourself in and out of the Labyrinth when you thought you were dreaming of the tunnels, and you transported yourself into my throneroom this morning." His smirk was smug.

She had forgotten about that. "I guess that all that hasn't really sunk in yet. I don't even understand how that was possible. So... until I have a better grasp on that, I prefer to drive at the moment, thanks."

"As you wish" he said, getting in the passenger seat.

Sarah got in the driver's seat and buckled the seat belt. As Sarah turned the ignition and the old car rattled to life, she glanced over and noted Jareth tense.

She smiled at his nervousness. "Have you never ridden in a car before?

He jumped slightly when another car honked nearby. "Motor vehicles are a relatively new invention. And as you have mentioned, I have other methods of transportation"

"Okay.. well...unless you're going to pouf yourself to my apartment, put your seat belt on." That earned her a glare but he obeyed and then he sat rigidly holding the door handle. As she pulled out of the parking spot, Jareth cringed at the loud rumbling noise coming from the back of the car.

Sarah gave an apologetic shrug. "Yeah, sorry about that, I need to change the muffler."

He looked at her incredulously. "Parts of your 'car' need replacing and you are still driving it?"

She let out a tired sigh. "Yes, I'm on a budget, it doesn't affect the safety and as long as I don't get pulled over I can wait and save my money to repair it."

Jareth didn't seem convinced as the muffler continued it's racket.

As Sarah drove, she thought of how he had said motor vehicles were recent. "So, is it a royal faux pas to ask how old you are?"

A small smirk played at Jareth's lips. "Would you like to guess?"

She tilted her head a little as the thought about that. "Well... you look like you're in your early thirties, you are a fairytale king and your regular look is a mix between renfaire and 80's rockstar, so I really don't know."

He raised an eyebrow. "If you are referring to my gravity defying hairstyle and glittery eye-makup, that was your doing."

Sarah almost veered into the other lane. "Are you serious!"

He smiled at her surprise. "Certainly. The style of one of the objects in your room, along with your love of big haired rock bands, contributed to my appearance when you first called on me."

Her eyebrows scrunched together. "But, how? You're the king, how could I have affected you?"

He paused, thoughtful, "Perhaps because I wanted to make a good impression."

She smirked. "So... how did you look before?"

His lips slid into a conspiratory grin. "I'll show you latter."

Sarah slowed and parked in front of the handsome aging brick building she called home. A small smile teased Jareth's lips, "I can see why you chose this place." The charming arched facade was surrounded with several tall trees giving it an air of sanctuary, contrasting its more gaudy neighbors.

With the take-out in one hand, Jareth offered the other to Sarah and they walked together. Sarah picked up her mail and unlocked the outer door. They went up the narrow staircase up to the third floor. In front of her door Sarah suddenly felt very self-conscious, she was inviting an otherworldly king into her little ordinary apartment. She let them in, still holding his hand. "It's not much, but it's home."

Jareth looked around, taking in the well-worn furniture, well loved books cramming the bookcase, art nouveau print on the wall. "Charming, it suits you."

"Meow?" Tiger had gotten down from his perch on the couch and was rubbing contentedly against Jareth's leg.

"Sorry." Sarah shooed him away. "Come on Tiger, stop getting your fur all over our guest."

He smirked. "Your minion is certainly more agreeable to look at than mine."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "I wouldn't call a cat a minion. More like pampered sultan." She hurried to go fill the food bowl. Tiger saw where she was headed and promptly abandoned Jareth.

He glanced out the window. "It is a beautiful evening, is there a place where we can enjoy our meal out of doors?"

Sarah was just washing her hands. "Well, my balcony is practically non existent, but there are two chairs."

Smiling, he led the way. "Then, shall we?"

The balcony was indeed tiny, barely big enough for the two spindly chairs Sarah had put there. There was no room for a table, but Sarah had gotten a plank and brackets and had installed a little ledge just big enough to place a couple of glasses.

"I'll go get some glasses, what would you prefer, water or soda?" She was just about to head back inside when he lightly held out his arm to block her path. He formed a crystal.

She eyed it warily. "What is that?"

"A little something I've been saving." He set the crystal on the ledge, it burst and in its place an iridescent glass bottle appeared, along with two wine glasses. Sarah handed Jareth a box and a set of chopsticks and he poured their drinks.

Sarah held her glass up, inspecting its contents. She brought it up to her nose and then shot a sharp glare at Jareth. "Peach wine!"

He attempted an innocent expression, failing miserably. "Is there a problem?"

She put the glass back down. "Only that the last time I ingested something peach flavored from you I ended up in an enchanted ballroom dream."

Tilting his head he asked her. "Was it really so terrible?"

Sarah sighed, remembering. "It was beautiful, wonderful...and terrifying!"

He frowned at that. "Terrifying? How so?"

She fidgeted. "I was only 15 Jareth! In an unfamiliar place, lost in a crowd of masked strangers in grotesque masks leering at me!"

He played with the rim of his glass. "I did tell you that I did not supply the particulars of your dream, you did." He leaned closer, eyes fixed on hers. "I was simply a King, pulled into a beautiful dream to dance with the object of my desire only to have it shatter."

Sarah considered his words a moment but countered, waving her finger at him. "Not before playing your twisted game of peekaboo."

"Ah...but can you blame me for enjoying the chase?" The look he was giving her was making her stomach flip flop again.

She changed the subject. "We'd better eat before it gets cold." She broke apart her chopsticks and began to dig in. She tried to discretely watch how Jareth was doing with his chopsticks.

He observed how Sarah used them and tried to copy her, his first attempt resulting in dropping a small amount on the floor. Sarah muffled a snicker, he sent her a glare and tried again. He was a quick study and was soon as dexterous as if he had used them all his life. He soon polished off his meal, and dropped the chopsticks into the empty box. "This is very good. I shall have to try the very spicy." He put the box on the ledge, a finger lightly resting on the end of the protruding chopsticks. "You know my dear, I would almost suspect that you chose this meal hoping to see me fumble."

Sarah couldn't hide her guilty expression. "I'm sorry, I guess I thought that it would be funny to see you not look perfectly elegant for once." She formed a small smirk. "I should have remembered that you contact juggle."

"Not very charitable of you." He took a sip from his glass.

She nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry."

His eyes took on a predatory glint. "Perhaps a kiss to make amends?"

She smirked. "Blackmail is not very charitable either."

"Details." He whispered, pulling her to him.

He tasted of peach wine and she felt herself falling...

...


	15. A Crystal Dream

Sarah found herself once again in a ballroom hung with gauze and crystal chandeliers, a beautiful but unfamiliar melody hovering through the air. And she was alone.

Her inner voice smirked. _The git is probably waiting to make an entrance._

Occasionally visible between the draped fabric were walls like concave mercury glass. Passing her distorted reflection she paused. She had been expecting to see the pouffy white dress; instead she was wearing a slim sleeveless v-neck silk gown of deep teal, embroidered gorgeously with peacock feathers trailing down to where the dress grazed the floor. Her dark hair had been pulled back in a half updo with intricate jewelled clips also in the form of peacock feathers, the rest of it hanging down in soft waves down her back. Just a hint of make-up brought out her eyes and deepened the hue of her lips. She looked like the lady in her poster.

Wandering the room she found no signs of any other occupant. Her lips formed a wry smile as she also noticed the distinct lack of chairs. Finally she spotted a large cushioned settee nestled under a drape of gauze and went to sit down. The heavy table beside her was set with a delicate silver tray of delectable looking fruit tarts as well as beautiful crystal decanter and two glasses. Sarah regarded them warily. Just as she began to eye the decanter, wondering if it was heavy enough to use to break out of there, she heard a warm chuckle.

"Now, now Precious. After I went through the trouble of making sure there are no poor chairs for you to abuse, please do not start assaulting my servingware."

A drape of gauze was pulled back to reveal her host. He too was different, his pale hair was longer, less gravity defying and it had been tied back, leaving just a few shorter strands to frame his bare face. He was dressed in a long fitted waistcoat of teal velvet over a grey silk chemise. At his neck was an embroidered cravate of the same fabric as her dress, his pendant hanging over it. His snug black breeches tucked into shiny knee high leather boots were familiar. The smirk was the same too. As were his uneven blue eyes that were gazing at her full of mock accusation, but also something else.

Under his gaze Sarah's stomach felt full of butterflies and she had to remind herself that she was mad at him. "You tricked me!"

His eyes glittered. "I prefer the term surprise." She shot a glare at him but he smiled, unperturbed. "Is it not traditional to combine dining and dancing?"

Rolling her eyes she tried to hide a smile. "You could have asked Jareth!"

"Well then...join me for a dance?" He extended his hand towards her.

Sarah released an exaggerated sigh and held out her hand. Jareth flashed her a pointy toothed grin and spun her onto the dance floor. The music changed to something delicate, ethereal and they were almost floating.

"So, I am assuming that we are dreaming again." He nodded, she frowned slightly. "I'm not going to wake up suddenly because I have overbalanced and fallen on my face am I?"

"No need to worry." He held her closer and she let him lead her around the floor. "You are ensconced in my arms, much as you were this afternoon before I transported you to your desk."

Sarah cheeks felt warm. "Wait a minute... I fell asleep in your arms this afternoon?"

His eyes twinkled. "Yes, and you seemed so exhausted I prefered to let you sleep and returned you to your desk without waking you."

"Oh..." The mental picture of him holding her as she slept caused the butterflies to return.

Her inner voice added. _You're asleep in his arms right now dear._

She bushed and changed the subject. Taking a strand of his hair in her fingers she looked at him coyly. "So..I see that you made a few changes."

"You did ask to see my original form." He paused in their dance, backing up and turning so that she may observe him. "Does it please you?"

Her eyebrows shot up, giving him another head to toe glance she nodded approvingly. "You look... good." She grinned impishly. "Although I'm sure that the last thing your vanity needs is compliments."

He pulled her back into his arms, smirking. "You wound me Precious!"

Tracing a finger along the embroidery on his lapel, she smiled. "I approve of your choice of my gown by the way, very lovely.

He preened a little. "As you have most likely guessed, the artwork in your apartment gave me inspiration on your tastes." He whispered into her ear. "Although I did have another dress in mind if no other option had become available."

She raised an eyebrow. "I would love to see it one day."

He wiggled his brows. "Shall I invite you to another crystal ball tomorrow?"

Sarah's face fell. "Umm, actually I promised Karen that I would watch Toby tomorrow evening. They're having some kind of business dinner."

Jareth's did not quite manage to hide his disappointment.

Sarah considered a moment. "Would you like to come with me? It would be nice for my family to meet you... Although you know that as soon as my dad finds out that I'm seeing someone he is going to give you the third degree... and Toby can be a handful..."

He stopped dancing and looked into her eyes solemnly. "I would be honored to meet your family."

Hesitantly she asked. "Do you have any family?"

He looked down. "Not anymore."

She held his hand and led him to the settee, they sat down and were quiet a moment. She finally broke the silence. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jareth leaned over and filled a small glass with amber liquid from the decanter and took a large sip. He sighed. "It is not a pretty story Sarah."

She placed her head on his shoulder. "But it is a part of your story."

He downed the rest of his drink and sighed again. "I promise that I will tell you Sarah, but not today, not here. This evening I do not desire to dwell on the past, I wish to create more positive memories."

"By kidnapping me?" The jab was gentle.

A small smirk reappeared. "I prefer detoured."

She grinned. "Details."

He picked up the tray and held it out to her. "Care for some refreshments?" She eyed its contents warily.

He smirked and chose a tiny fruit tart that was drizzled with chocolate and took a bite. He held out the other half to her just out of range of her lips. She leaned forward and he placed the morsel in her mouth.

"Mmm...this is delicious!" She was about to lean over again to catch his lips instead when he suddenly rose, holding out his hand. "Shall we dance?"

She took his hand and let him lead her back into the dance floor. As he pulled her close to him the music changed again. She recognized the tinkling first strains of the song he had sung to her in the crystal ballroom nearly nine years ago. He began to sing to her.

Sarah felt mesmerized by his gaze and his voice. She had only heard the song once before, but the words were engraved in her memory. She began to mouth the words.

Jareth noticed, and a tender smirk graced his lips as he continued singing to her.

The dance felt like forever, yet not long at all.

The melody wound down and they slowed to a stop on the dance floor. Jareth's eyes held depths that she could drown in as he leaned in close. Sarah's breath felt tight in her chest, her heart was pounding. Their lips touched, just gently at first. Sarah melted into him, sliding her fingers into his hair to pull him closer. He responded, pulling her tight to his torso as his lips caressed hers.

He finally pulled away slowly, as if relishing every second of contact. His eyes seemed vaguely unfocused as he raised a hand to caress her cheek. When he tried to speak his voice was hoarse and his breathing heavy. "Sarah..." his voice cracked.

Sarah put her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She could hear his heart pounding in his chest. She whispered. "Do you know that I had always wondered how our dance would have ended, if I hadn't had to find Toby ." His arms enveloped her and he placed his chin on her head. For a long moment they just held each other.

Finally he spoke. "One more dance before we return?"

She nodded.

A new song began.

There were no words, Sarah put her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder as they gently swayed to the music.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those who have left kudos and comments, I really appreciate each and every one!


	16. The Perils of Dating the Goblin King

Sarah awoke slowly, she could feel Jareth's arms around her and his head was leaning against hers. She turned her head just in time to see him open his eyes. The look of fierce contentment that he bestowed on her made her stomach flutter again. He squeezed her tightly, smiling, she smiled back. Sarah would have liked to just stay like that, enjoying the moment but gradually she became aware of a terrible racket behind them. Turning to look through the patio door she stiffled a scream.

There were goblins everywhere! The contents of her fridge were spread across the floor and a potbellied goblin with tusks was guzzling her salad dressing. Many of her pots and pans were also pulled out and set up like a drum kit, which three goblins were banging contentedly with her utensils. A goblin wearing stripped socks was swinging from her kitchen light fixture, and one with a spiky hat was being chased by Tiger across the living room. He jumped into the lower door of the bookcase, closing it behind him. Tiger couldn't stop in time and crashed into it, sending some of her books flying and making the bookcase totter.

She turned to Jareth and noted that his Aboveground clothing had been replaced, transformed back into full Goblin King regalia. He silently gestured to her to let him pass and entered the room. One by one the goblins noticed his presence, one by one they became silent as they noticed the fury in his eyes. A few began trembling. Tiger took one look at him and disappeared behind the couch

The chill in the Goblin King's voice could freeze the Bahamas. "What. Are. You. Doing?"

Stripey socks jumped down from the light fixture. "Um, celer-bratin."

A regal eyebrow raised at that. "And why are you celebrating?"

Pottsy jumped down from where she had been trying to make a castle in the dirt of Sarah's houseplants. "Celebrating Lady Queen!"

Jareth raised a hand and began massaging his temples. "The Lady Sarah has of yet not officially accepted that title."

"But...but..." Pouted spikey helmet.

"But you were kissing!" Insisted Pottsy, with her hands on her hips.

Sarah blushed and tried to change the subject. "How did you all even get here?"

The spiky helmet goblin pointed excitedly at Jareth. "Followed Kingy!" before remembering said King's fury and shrinking behind Sarah.

Sarah looked around at her ruined apartment and sighed, tears were in her eyes.

Pottsy tugged at her jeans. "Why Lady sad?"

Indicating the disaster zone that was her apartment Sarah sighed. "Because my home is destroyed"

The goblins looked around and surveyed the damage, they had the decency to look ashamed.

Potbellied goblin picked up the empty bottle of salad dressing and handed it to Sarah sheepishly. "No meant to destroy, just so happy to have Queen."

They all looked up at her with the goblin equivalent of puppy dog eyes. "We's sorry!"

During the conversation Jarerh was still fuming but had stayed back and seemed to be observing how Sarah handled the situation.

One of the drummer goblins looked at their King. "No want to go to bog!" It's lips were trembling.

Sarah too noticed the murderous look in the Goblin King's eyes and decided to intervene, looking at each goblin in turn she spoke. "I will ask your King to not bog any of you on two conditions."

They all looked up at her expectantly, Sarah struggled to keep a straight face. "If you all help me clean this up and agree to always ask my permission before visiting me."

"Okay!" They shouted in unison, and began to scramble to pick things up.

Jareth watched in amazement as the goblins, with a little help from Sarah, began putting her apartment back in order. When they got to her books, Sarah looked sadly at the torn and stained pages of her copy of Sleeping Beauty. Approaching he asked gently "Allow me." He touched the book and it returned to it's former pristine state. Sarah smiled gratefully and continued putting the books on the shelf, Jareth passing them to her.

When they were done, they looked back towards the kitchen and saw three goblins trying to pull out her mop and bucket. Immediately imagining the damage they could cause, she called to them. "Hey, guys, it's okay, I'll do that."

"Lady sure? We wants to help!" They continued struggling with the mop and Sarah cringed as the end of it came close to hitting the window.

"Yes, I'm sure! Thanks."

Jareth cleared his throat. "Attention, as Sarah has so generously made a deal with you, I will not bog any of you today for causing this disaster."

The goblins began cheering.

He held up his hand to ask for silence. "But if any of you return here without the Lady Sarah's express permission, the bog will be the least of your worries. These are her quarters, and should be treated with the same respect as mine."

The goblins looked amongst themselves and then back at Jareth. Stripey socks piped up. "How we ask permission?"

Sarah thought about that, she didn't want all and sundry peaking in her vanity mirror to ask in, she turned to Jareth. "Is there a way for them to "knock"? Without seeing in?"

He looked around and noticed the open broom closet. "If you allow me, I could make this a portal."

Sarah shrugged. "Sure, as long as it can still be used as a broom closet as well."

The Goblin King regarded his subjects sternly. "This will be the only portal that you may use to visit Sarah."

"Knock three times, like this." She knocked three times on the cupboard door. "If I come open the door for you, you may enter, if not, you turn around and go back to the Underground. Understood?"

The goblins nodded, although a few of them didn't seem sure.

They were interrupted by a loud knocking at the front door that caused everyone to jump, Sarah froze then looked at Jareth and whispered, "Could you get them all out of here, now?"

Jareth formed a crystal and let it drop, the moment it hit the floor Sarah and Jareth were alone in her apartment. His attire melted back to the slacks and shirt that he had been wearing earlier.

Another, louder knock at the door. An irritated female voice grumbled. "Sarah, I heard talking, I know you're home!"

"Just a second Mrs Henderson!" She opened the door to see a short, squat woman in her sixties, with her hands on her hips. Her landlady.

Sarah hoped that she sounded nonchalant. "Is there a problem Mrs Henderson?"

The woman grumbled. "There was an awful lot of noise coming from your apartment just now!"

Sarah thought fast. "We were having supper on the balcony and a bird slipped into the apartment. My cat tried to catch it and knocked some things over, we just finished cleaning it up."

"We?" She looked in and noticed Jareth, who was putting away the mop. She narrowed her eyes. "I was not notified of a new tenant!"

Sarah's face went crimson again. "No, he doesn't live here, we were just going to watch some TV."

Mrs Henderson just squinted at them both and turned to leave, "Just remember that I am to be notified of any change in lodgers. And I suggest you learn to control your cat!"

The older lady trudged out, Sarah closed the door behind her and exhaled loudly. She turned around only to see Jareth, still in his Aboveground clothing stretched across the couch, boots on the armrest. He was nonchalantly rolling a crystal in his hand. A mischievous grin appeared on his face, "You know, that awful woman should meet Hogbrain, I think they'd get along."

She made a face at him. "You're terrible, you know that?"

He smirked and the crystal disappeared. He looked at her intently. "I am the Goblin King Precious, it comes with the job description."

Sarah tried very hard to ignore how her stomach fluttered again under his gaze. "Yes, well, Goblin King... this is my throne, scoot!" She pushed his boots off the couch and sat down beside him. She picked up the remote. "Oh, and speaking of goblins, you did only send them home, right?"

Jareth frowned. "Sarah, I may be a tad impulsive, but I always keep my word."

She raised an eyebrow she teased. "Only a tad?"

The indignant look he gave her made her laugh. "Really Sarah?"

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now on to the movie part of the date, what do you think they're going to watch?
> 
> I don't own Labyrinth or its characters, OCs are mine.


	17. A Movie,  a (Back)Story

Sarah turned on the TV. and flipped through the channels searching for any good movies. "So, what would you like to watch?"

Jareth looked her up and down slyly. "You."

Blushing Sarah gestured at the TV. "I meant the television, have you ever watched before?"

He nodded. "I have seen them in the homes of wishers over the years. Mini moving pictures."

"Okay good, you know what movies are." She went to the TV stand and dug through her VHS collection, finally narrowing it down to four choices. "Would you like to watch The Princess Bride, The Dark Crystal, The Rocketeer or Star Wars?"

He tilted his head slightly. "Which one do you prefer."

Sarah grinned, holding out one box, he grinned back. "Then I choose that one."

She put the movie in, pressed play and was just about to join Jareth on the couch when they heard three knocks. Coming from the broom closet. Jareth tried to grab Sarah but she evaded his grasp and went to the kitchen. Opening the broom closet she could see into the throneroom and it was full of goblins with expectant faces. Pottsy was first in line. "Can we's come visit? Please?"

Sarah couldn't bear to disappoint them. "You may come in if you behave yourselves." She returned from the kitchen with the goblins at her heels, Jareth glared daggers at her but said nothing.

The goblins gawked at the movie trailers on the screen, Stripey Socks pointed. "Portal?"

"No, just moving pictures, a movie, a story, would you like to watch with us?"

"A story? Okay!" All of the goblins scrambled to sit on the floor and watched the screen with awe. Jareth sat slumped on the couch with his arms crossed.

When they got to the part where the grandson interrupts the goodbye scene, Stripey Socks grumbled in agreement. "Ya, this mushy stuff!"

"But it's true love!" Huffed Pottsy, hands on hips. "Like Kingy and Queenie!"

"But boy's hair not fluffy nuff." Observed the tusked goblin.

Sarah made the mistake of glancing at Jareth, he had been glowering up till this point but at Pottsy's words his smirk crept back, along with an intensity in his eyes that made Sarah blush.

"I'm hungry!" announced the spiky helmed goblin.

"Me too!" came the chorus.

Sarah paused the movie and went to the kitchen, opened the fridge and groaned. The goblins had gotten into _everything_ in the fridge; there was something floating in the pickle brine that didn't look like a pickle, her butter had a bite out of it and someone had even left a half empty jug of ale. Looking around to make sure that the goblins hadn't followed her she reached into the top shelf of the pantry behind a can of lentils. Her stash, kept where Toby wouldn't think to look, hopefully the goblins hadn't looked either. She breathed a sigh of relief when her fingers found what she was searching for. A few minutes later she returned to the living room with a tray full of little paper cups.

"One each." She handed out the cups.

A crosseyed goblin sniffed his cup and asked. "What is it?"

Sarah popped a piece into her mouth. "Popcorn, food."

The goblin then proceeded to shove the entire cup in his mouth. "Mmmm...yummy!"

She saw the spiky helmet goblin about to reach for the cup of the stripey sock goblin and stipulated. "Anyone stealing anybody else's popcorn will be sent home immediately!"

"To the bog." Added Jareth, glaring.

Sarah frowned at him but handed him a cup as well and turned the movie back on. The rest of the movie went fairly well, although there were a few more interruptions.

Spikey helmet cooed. "Ooh, cans we have eels in da bog?"

Jareth actually cringed. "No! You all are ear splitting enough as it is!"

"Awww!" Pouted Spikey helmet, he slumped his shoulders, spilling some of his snack and then exclaimed. "Hey, dats mine!" As Stripey socks munched on the fallen kernels, grinning.

"You drops it on the floor, not yours no more!" He stuck his tongue out.

Sarah was tempted to intervene, but since there hadn't been direct theft she decided to ignore it.

Once the movie was finished, Sarah glanced at the clock. "Okay guys, time to go home."

There was a generalised "Awww!"

One of the former drummer goblins grinned and quipped. "Inconceivable!"

She specified. "It's ten o'clock, I think it's time for the goblins to go to bed."

Jareth raised an eyebrow "And what of their King?"

She pretended to think about it. "Hmm... he may stay a bit longer if he promises to behave himself."

Jareth stretched out across the couch and announced. "Any goblin not out of Sarah's residence in the next minute will be sent to the bog."

The goblins scrambled to the kitchen, pushing and shoving trying to hurry. When the last one had gone through Sarah closed the door and returned to the living room.

Jareth had made himself quite at home on the couch as he balanced a crystal across his hand. He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "So...what is your definition of behave?"

She crossed her arms. "Threatening them was not necessary."

The crystal vanished and he mirrored her posture. "Allowing them in on our date was not necessary." His frown had returned.

Rolling her eyes Sarah huffed. "Maybe not, but if I am going to even consider being queen, I should get to know my future subjects."

Eyebrow raised, The Goblin King replied flatly. "I do believe that the point of courting is getting to know that person better, not their minions?"

Sarah threw up her hands. "Most people don't even have minions!" She pointed at him. "And getting to know you includes observing how you act around others. I need to have a complete picture of who you are and what being with you entails."

Jareth pursed his lips and sighed. "Sarah, I have already mentioned that I will do my best to answer your questions. Must you really oblige me to share our time together with my imbecilic subjects?"

She went to sit, shooing his feet over. "Not all the time. I would prefer they don't show up at my parent's house tomorrow. Which reminds me, we need to figure a few things out if your going to be meeting my family."

Tilting his head he queried. "Such as?"

"Well, in my part of the world everyone has a last name. We're fortunate that Carla didn't ask about yours. Do you have one?"

His expression became distant and he didn't respond for a moment. Sarah was about to rephrase the question when he said softly. "Perhaps... Archer."

Sarah noticed his odd far away expression but decided to leave that for another time. She snuggled into his arm. "Do you like the name Jareth Archer?

Jareth's eyes flitted back to the present. "...Yes."

Sarah smiled. "Okay then... Mr. Archer, you're going to need a backstory. People are going to ask where you are from, how did we meet, what do you do for a living. If we tell them the truth we'll be hauled off to the Looney Bin.'"

He shrugged. "Simple. I am from London, England, an orphan adopted by a wealthy eccentric who has since passed on. Apart from my duties caring for my estate I am a musician and scholar."

She nugged him with her elbow. "Why do I get the impression that this is a simplification of your real life story?"

"Because you are a very clever girl." He tapped her nose gently.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Okay, so that's good for your backstory, but what about how we met?"

"I saw you play acting in the park, quoting from your book and you intrigued me."

Sarah pushed away from him. "Wait a minute! You saw me in the park?... Were you spying on me?"

The corner of his mouth quirked. "No, but as I said, you were quoting from the Labyrinth and believing in it so strongly, I was drawn to you... Do you remember seeing an owl in the park that day?"

Scrunching up her eyebrows Sarah thought. "Yes, I remember thinking it was weird that he was out in the daytime. And he seemed to be listening to me."

"I was." He tapped his chin thoughtful. "Then... I challenged you to a sort of battle of wits." He smirked, "Chess perhaps? And you won. I had written a song and I sang it for you, but the clock chimed and you had to run back home."

Sarah grimaced slightly. "That could actually work... except I'm horrible at chess."

"A riddle then?"

She nodded. "Sure, I could even use the riddle from the doors in the Labyrinth...Okay, on Sunday, where did we meet?...you said you're a muscision, so you play an instrument?"

"Yes, several."

"So... you were practicing guitar in the park around the corner and I stopped to listen and recognized you."

He smiled, "I was playing 'our' song."

Sarah blushed remembering their dance earlier. She tried to keep the conversation on track. "Okay, your reasons for visiting the states?"

"At first... searching for a change of pace." He pulled her closer to him. "Then... hoping against hope to find the beautiful stubborn girl who had captured my heart." He whispered against her cheek. "For many years I feared I would never see her again." The intensity of his gaze was almost frightening as he leaned forward and took her mouth and she melted into him.

Something that sounded like a chainsaw with a cold rudely interrupted them. Jumping up to look for the source they found one of the drummer goblins asleep beside her couch, tangled in her throw blanket, snoring. Jareth sighed and snapped his fingers, the goblin disappeared.

"Only home, right?" Sarah rubbed her eyes and tried to hide a yawn.

"Yes Precious." He took her back into his arms. "It's getting late, I believe that for now I shall take my leave."

Sha yawned again, nodding. "Yeah... I have to get up for work in the morning. Don't forget tomorrow evening."

"I wouldn't miss it." He kissed her lightly and disappeared.

Sarah felt bereft at his sudden exit but she went to get ready for bed.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I chose that surname for a reason ;)
> 
> Kudos to Grimmswan for correctly guessing which movie they were going to watch!
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who has commented, bookmarked or left kudos, I really appreciate it. 
> 
> I don't own Labyrinth, the Princess Bride, the Rocketeer, the Dark Crystal or Star Wars. I do own my goblin OCs.


	18. Is it Vacation Yet?

Sarah eyes popped open, she wasn't sure what had roused her and the room was pitch black. Her room was never that dark, had there been a power outage? Was she dreaming? She reached blindly for the lamp and felt something move in the bed beside her. "Ack!" Tumbling out of the bed she landed painfully on a hard floor. "Oww!"

A voice in the darkness muttered. "Sarah?"

She was both relieved and mortified that she recognized the voice. "Jareth?"

His voice was sleepy. "What are you doing in my chambers?"

"What?!" Sarah scuffled to her feet. A light flared and she was confronted with the sight of the Goblin King peering at her sleepily from a large canopy bed draped with dark velvet curtains. He sat up and his naked torso was visible in the light from the crystal he had conjured. His wild hair glowed in the light, his lean body seemed to almost shimmer. Sarah gasped and averted her eyes but there was nothing else to see, the rest of the room was still shrouded in shadows. She tentatively glanced back towards him. "I'm sorry, I...are we dreaming... or am I really here?"

"You are very much here." His eyes traveled the length of her body. "Care to join me?" He patted the bed.

Sarah looked down at her way too short old t-shirt that she had worn to bed and blushed furiously, tugging down trying fruitlessly to cover herself . "Umm... I..."

"You may borrow my robe if you wish." He picked up something from beside the bed and tossed it at her, she caught it and saw that it was a blue silk robe. Hastily she put in on and tied it. She hesitantly sat down on the edge of the bed, avoiding his eyes.

"T-thank you." Sarah's exhausted, mortified brain was having difficulty processing the situation.

Jareth sighed. "Sarah, this unconscious travel between our worlds is quite worrisome."

Sarah blushed again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to invade your privacy."

His smile held more than a trace of smirk. "You misunderstand, I assure you that I see your presence in my bed chamber as quite the opposite of a problem." His heated gaze was giving Sarah butterflies. He pulled down the coverlet beside him, Sarah averted her eyes again just in case. "You may sleep here if you like."

Sarah's brain was kind of short circuiting at the thought, she fidgeted with the ties on the robe so as not to look at the halfdressed (undressed?) Goblin King. "I... um... I think I should go home, I work in the morning."

Jareth smiled at her flustering and raised his hand to graze her cheek. "Then we shall discuss this tomorrow."

The room shifted and suddenly she was back in her own bed. A screech startled her and Tiger wiggled out from under her, he had apparently taken the warm spot as soon as she had disappeared and did not appreciate her abrupt reappearance. Sarah laughed at his offended grumble then grabbed a pillow and sighed into it from a mix of embarrassment and frustration. After a few minutes Tiger jumped back on the bed and snuggled against her hip.

...

In what felt like only a few minutes later there was a light tapping sound. She tried to ignore it, but then she heard a rough whisper. "Sarah, ya up?"

Sarah looked towards her vanity, in her mirror were Hoggle, Sir Didimus and Ludo, all looking worried.

Looking down to make sure she was decent, she grunted, "I am now, come in."

Hoggle glanced around nervously. "But, what about you know who?"

Sarah smothered a laugh. "You don't have to worry about that. Now get in here!"

The threesome appeared in her bedroom and she jumped up and hugged each of them warmly. Hoggle grumbled and Sir Didimus complained about lack of propriety. Ludo's hug almost knocked the wind out of her. "Sawah!"

"I've missed you all so much!" She wiped away a happy tear.

Sir Didimus bowed tilted his head before inquiring. "Are thou well Milady?"

Sarah frowned. "Of course, why?"

Hoggle looked around suspiciously again before confiding. "Well, the other king seems to be gone, but I saw Jareth yesterday afternoon and he seemed to be in an oddly good mood. I was worried he's up to no good."

"I have something to tell all of you..." Sarah hesitated, her friends all looked at her expectantly, she took a deep breath and continued. "I went to the Underground yesterday... It's a long story... but I helped Jareth get rid of the other king. And... after... Jareth asked to court me-"

Hoggles eyes bulged even more than usual. "What!"

Sarah looked nervously at each of them. "And I accepted."

Sir Didimus gasped and bowed deeply. "My lady!"

Ludo frowned in confusion. "Sawah Queen?"

Sarah shook her head at the gentle beast and smiled. "No Ludo, at least, not yet."

Hoggle was furious. "You... in league with that rat?" His eyes widened as he noticed the luxurious robe. The betrayal in his expression hurt. "Courting? That's not what I would call it!"

Sarah flushed deeply and stumbled over her words. "Hoggle... please... it's not what you think..."

He stormed away from her and disappeared into the mirror without looking back. She slumped on the end of her bed,

Sir Didimus frowned in Hoggle's direction and then took Sarah's hand. "My Lady, I offer felicitations on your courtship. I am certain that you shall make a fine Queen." He bowed again and turned towards the mirror, Ludo followed.

Ludo paused and hugged Sarah again. "Sawah fwend."

"Yes Ludo, always." She hugged him back and turned him back towards the mirror. In a second both Sir Didimus and Ludo were inside, they waved and disappeared. Sarah fell into her pillows and cried.

...

When the alarm began blaring Sarah smacked it and pulled her pillow over her head. _Do I have to get up?_

Her inner voice nagged her. _Even if you call in sick, you still have to watch Toby tonight...and Jareth will be there. And it's only a couple of days til vacation._

She huffed into her pillow. " _Ughhhhh! If I survive til then._ "

Getting up she glanced out the window and was immediately tempted to just go back to bed, the sky was leaden and it was pouring rain. Throwing on a blue t-shirt with black jeans and sneakers she tamed her hair into a ponytail and headed for the kitchen. Opening the fridge she groaned, she still needed groceries. Sarah grabbed her rain coat from the closet but couldn't find her umbrella anywhere. She locked up and thumped down the stairs. Jogging to her car she jumped in and headed to work. When she arrived at the traffic jam on the main road she wanted to scream.

...

She arrived at work sopping wet and fuming. Dropping her bag at her desk she made a beeline for the kitchen. Upon entering, she stiffled a groan. Carla was already there, almost bursting with curiosity. "Sooo, how did the date go?"

Sarah held up a hand for silence. "Not before coffee!" She grabbed her mug, filled it and sat down sipping it carefully, ignoring her hair dripping down her back.

Carla waited a moment and then sat beside her. She looked worried. "That bad, huh?"

Sarah slumped further into her chair. "No, the date went fine, it's everything after that went to hell!"

"What happened?"

"Didn't sleep well, had weird dreams again and woke up to an empty fridge and no coffee. Then there's the weather, the traffic." Sarah took another sip of coffee. "Oh, and I received a call from an old friend that started well but then there was a misunderstanding and they hung up on me!"

"Here." Carla opened a box on the counter and handed her a croissant. "Take a few minutes, you can start work when you're feeling human again."

Sarah took it gratefully. "Thanks Carla...I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Carla smiled. "No problem... but you do still owe me the details on this new hottie!"

Sarah glared at her and took a bite of croissant. She took her time sipping her coffee, when she finally got up Tina and Carla were preparing the machines for a new job. She dug into her to-do pile and got to work.

...

A while later Carla peeked in her office. "Sarah-" she stopped short at the sight of Sarah, head leaning in her hand, asleep.

"Sarah!"

Sarah blinked awake, realized that her boss had caught her dozing at work, again and blushed.

Carla pretended not to have noticed. "Tina and I ordered sushi, would you like some?"

At the mention of food, Sarah's stomach rumbled, she nodded and joined them in the break room. The sushi looked delicious but Sarah cringed as she saw Carla ready to burst with questions..

"So... how'd you meet Jareth?"

Sarah paused with a sushi halfway to her mouth. "I don't remember you saying that lunch came with an interrogation."

"Come on Sarah! Gorgeous man like that just appeared in your life and you expect me not to have questions? Like does he have a brother?"

Sarah snorted. "No, he doesn't."

"So, how did you meet him?"

"I told you already, we met briefly years ago and crossed paths near my apartment the other day. He asked me out officially only yesterday. We ate Thai food and watched a movie. There's not much to tell."

Carla pouted at Sarah's lack of details. Sarah only put a few California rolls on a plate and returned to her desk. Sitting down she looked into the crystal, there was a new message. "Where shall we meet?"

Sarah was a bit embarrassed to face him after popping in on him last night, but it would be a good idea to talk before heading over to her parent's. She wrote "At work, 5 o'clock." and placed the crystal on it. She wolfed down the sushi and got back to work.

A while later she heard a knock on her door frame. Carla regareded her wryly. "You have a visitor."

Looking at her clock, she saw that it was already five o'clock. "Oh, um... just a second." She rubbed her eyes, grabbed her bag and went to meet him.

Jareth was being introduced to Tina. He was dressed more casual, dark blue jeans, a grey button up shirt and three-quarter length black leather jacket. When his eyes alighted on Sarah he smiled at her warmly.

Tina glanced from Sarah to Jareth and back again and wiggled her eyebrows approvingly Jareth noticed and smirked. Sarah blushed and tried to steer Jareth to the door. "See you tomorrow."

Carla stopped her at the door and pulled her aside. "Sarah, take the rest of the week off." Sarah tried to interject but Carla cut her off. "You are exhausted, you have fallen asleep at work two days in a row. You haven't been eating properly. Your vacation is supposed to start this weekend anyway. If you can't afford to take extra time off you can come back early. But I do not expect to see you until at least next Thursday." She put something in Sarah's hand. "Here's this week's pay, plus your vacation pay. We can settle any adjustments when you get back."

Sarah blinked. "Uh... thanks." _Carla was letting her off early, even after Sarah bypassed her gossip? She must really be worried._

"Now go and get some rest." She turned to Jareth with a frown. "I know new love and all, but if she doesn't look rested when she gets back I'll know who to blame!"

Sarah turned deep red and wanted to disappear. Carla on the other hand squinted at Jareth. "I mean it, she's exhausted."

Jareth frowned back. "Sarah is quite capable of making her own decisions."

Sarah grabbed his arm and rushed out the door to end the conversation before it degenerated. The awning of the building was tiny and so they huddled close together watching the rain pour down for a moment. Sarah groaned. "Ugh! What a day to not be able to find my umbrella!"

Jareth held out his hand and a crystal appeared, it popped and Sarah was surprised to see her own umbrella appear. Jareth opened it, It looked a little worse for wear and the rain leaked through in several places. Seeing the Goblin King in Aboveground attire holding a faulty umbrella made Sarah giggle. "I take it one of the goblins brought it to the underground?"

He nodded and shook it out, it once again did its job of keeping them reasonably dry. "If I had discovered it only moments later you would not have wanted it back."

Sarah raised a brow inquisitively. "Dare I ask?"

"A couple of goblins were about to try and use it as a boat, on the bog." He wrinkled his nose at the memory.

Sarah let out a small snort of laughter. "Oh dear!"

Still holding the umbrella Jareth tilted his head. "Where to Precious?"

Sarah thought for a second. "Well... I'm supposed to be at my parent's in an hour. We'd better get going."

...


	19. Car Ride Conversations

Jareth took her arm and they ran together under the umbrella and managed to get to the car without getting soaked. Once buckled in Sarah started the wipers and turned on the radio, Red Barchetta was playing. She got on the main road and tapped the steering wheel to the beat. She noticed Jareth discreetly tapping his thigh as well, when an ad came on he began playing with the knob.

Sarah smiled. "If you liked that song, open the little drawer in front of you."

He opened it and found a small collection of cassettes. She grabbed her favorite mix tape and put it in, the opening notes to Bravado filled the car. Jareth began to leaf through the cassettes. "Hmm... interesting."

The traffic was not too bad and they were making good time. Outside the scenery changed from crowded city streets to highway. After a few songs Sarah cleared her throat. "About last night, I'm sorry for invading your privacy, even if it was accidental.

His lips quirked up slightly. "I truly do not mind you visiting Sarah." His expression sobered. "It is the fact that it was accidental that worries me. You need to learn how to control your abilities. Your fatigue these past couple of days is more than likely because of your transporting."

Sarah sighed. "But how do I controI something that I don't even realize I'm doing?"

"Perhaps if we discuss how transporting generally works it could help you visualize."

She shrugged. "I always figured that it was like opening a door."

"To use that parallel, it is more like creating the opening, creating the tunnel, creating the door. It requires envisioning clearly where you are and where you want to be and tethering them, so to speak. You however are transporting instinctively. When you consciously decide where you want to be you arrive at that destination, such as when you appeared in my throne room. It seems that when you travel unconsciously you arrive at a location that snagged your memory, like the tunnels."

"Makes sense... but what about last night? I had never been to your chambers before."

"It is possible that in that case that your subconscious somehow latched on to my location, especially if you had been thinking or dreaming of me."

Sarah blushed but sobered. "So the danger is that when I transport unconsciously, I'm jumping blind."

"Yes... you could land in the wrong location, the wrong time... or even fall between." Something in his tone of voice was ominous.

Trying to wrap her head around the concept of teleportation in the Underground was already giving Sarah a bit of a headache. The thought that she could be lost in the abyss terrified her. Then something he said registered.

"Wait a minute! It's possible to travel time?" Her inner voice quipped _Imagine the possibilities!_

He shook his head. "Technically yes, although the amount of energy required to reliably jump more than a few hours renders it almost impossible." Jareth found her pout of disappointment endearing.

"How is it that I can transport at all? I never could before."

Jareth paused a moment. "Technically it seems that you have had the power since you ran the Labyrinth."

"What?!" Sarah forced herself to keep her eyes on the road.

"I am the guardian of the passages to and from the Labyrinth. After you left last night I examined all of the existing portals. I noticed one I had never seen before, it seems that your declaration at the end of your run had blocked me from seeing it. You created a portal in your mirror for your friends to visit you."

Sarah's eyes bulged. "I did that?"

"None of your friends have the ability to do it themselves and the portal bears your mark. You have had the power to return from the moment you left."

"Oh..." Sarah began to feel light headed from absorbing all of this. She blinked tried to concentrate on her driving. After a few moments she resumed her questions. "Are there many that can travel between worlds?"

He shook his head. "Relatively speaking, no. In most species there are occasionally born individuals with the ability, the goblins are the only species where it is more common than not."

"So, about that... from what you said yesterday, I'm guessing that the former Goblin King adopted you."

"Correct."

Sarah hesitated to ask her next question. "Did... did one of your parents wish you away?"

Out of the corner of her eyes Sarah saw him nod sadly. "Yes, but not in the way you imagine. Some goblins were Above searching for some mischief when they heard weeping. When they went to investigate they found my mother, alone, bleeding out, clutching a newborn. She saw the goblins and pleaded for them to take the child. Panicked they called for their king, when he arrived it was already too late."

Sarah's eyes watered as she thought of how alone and terrified his mother must have felt in her last moments. She took his hand and squeezed it gently, Jareth continued. "The Goblin King, Throk, took me in and named me his heir. He died shortly after I came of age.

Sarah's brow crinkled. "I didn't know that creatures of the Underground could die, your goblins always seemed indestructible."

"The Underground and it's magic imbues all of its residents with extraordinarily long lifespans, but we are not immortal."

"How long do you live?"

"Age when you arrive as well as your natural constitution can cause variations. King Throk was about three thousand years old. I have heard of some creatures living several thousand years. The wiseman is the oldest creature in my kingdom."

The idea of living so long was making her head spin. "So, you never did tell me how old you are."

"I was born in 1647, according to your calendar."

Sarah quickly did the math in her head, _I'm dating a man 323 years older than me! Daddy would freak!_ "So, if I were to stay, I would also be affected?"

Jareth was pained by the word 'if' but he shrugged it off. "Everyone who stays for an extended period of time. Aging slows, imperceptibly at first but eventually almost stalling."

"I've never seen anyone who looks like you or me in the Labyrinth. Are you the only human in the Underground?

"The Goblin Kingdom is but one of many in the Underground. There are several humanoid species, the fae, the elves, the dwarves. There are very few humans. In my kingdom currently I am the only one.

"Do you have to deal with the other kingdoms very much?"

"Due to the goblins we are mostly left to ourselves. There are scheduled court sessions, other than that the only time they contact me is when there is a wished away or if someone wants to try the Labyrinth."

"Why do they care about the wished away?"

"Some species in the Underground have difficulty bearing children. As you have seen with Fluffy, we cannot create new life from nothing, only tranform it. When a child is wished away he is tranformed according to the species of the adopting family."

"But Throk didn't turn you into a goblin, why?"

"I do not know."

"You said that you had planned on adopting Toby."

"Yes, just as Throk, I have the right to claim my heir from the wished away. I had planned on raising him as my son."

Sarah became quiet. She finally spoke up. "Why? I mean... why adopt at all? There must be many prospective brides in the Underground who would be willing to give you an heir."

"I have no use for a marriage of convenience and even less for those who would marry for power. Instead of marrying a stranger and hoping for an heir, I would rather adopt an unwanted child and give them a home. When you used to play in the park you intrigued me. When you wished Toby away I wanted him as my heir since he resembles me and I had already seen your imagination and hoped that he shared that capacity. Then quite unexpectedly you changed your mind and wanted him back. I thought to keep at least one of you. I don't know how to explain it other than that when you ran the Labyrinth, you belonged. You adapted and won over many of my subjects. I saw many qualities that would make a fine queen and partner."

A small huff of laughter escaped her lips. "I was just a bratty kid."

Jareth flashed a teasing smile. "You were stubborn and determined... but also kind, resourceful and brave." His voice became softer. "I knew that you were too young, but I feared never getting another chance. I wanted you to stay, take the time to grow up, get to know me. But I was bound by my role as your villain. In the end I botched both."

Sarah squeezed his hand again. "I didn't understand what you were offering. And even if I had, I was too young to truly make that choice."

"And now?" The king raised an eyebrow, eyes smouldering.

She raised her eyebrow right back. "And now I'm taking the time to make an educated decision."

"And...?" Jareth's gaze was giving her butterflies again.

A honk surprised them both, and Sarah realized that she had begun to wander from her lane.

"And... I'd better keep my eyes on the road if we want to arrive in one piece." Sarah glanced at the clock. "Good, we'll get there a bit early so that they can meet you before they leave."

Jareth looked thoughtful. "Did you have any plans for your time off?"

"Not specifically ... I can't afford to go anywhere. I had just been planning on taking it easy, going hiking a few times and spending time with Toby. His summer vacation starts Friday."

"I propose that you spend at least a few days of your vacation in the Underground."

"Really?" Ever since her run she had wanted to return, to revisit that fantastical world, but had been afraid that it would give him power over her.

"I would be honored to be your host. You may rest, hike, visit your friends and explore the kingdom."

"I... would love to!" Sarah felt giddy at the thought.

Jareth grinned at her enthousiasm and formed a crystal, he spoke into it "Edgar, we are to have a distinguished guest, begin preparations."

A warm deep voice answered. "Yes your majesty." The crystal disappeared.

Sarah flustered. "You don't have to go to any trouble, I would've been happy to just camp if I had too."

A smirk teased the corner of his mouth. "I know, and you are free to camp if that is your wish. I would ask though that you verify with me first to make sure your location is safe."

Sarah had a flash of waking up to find fireys surrounding her tent and shuddered. "Deal."

The scenery changed from highway to quaint and comfortable houses. They passed the park and shared a secret smile.

Once parked in front of her childhood home Sarah took a deep breath. "Ready?"

Sarah was sure that she saw a flicker of nervousness pass over his face before a look of confidence took it's place. She lifted her hand and swept his hair out of his eyes. She kissed him quickly. "We can do this."

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Labyrinth or its characters or the songs mentioned in this chapter. Both are by Rush, Red Barchetta is on their album Moving Pictures and Bravado is on Roll the Bones. Rush's drummer and lyricist Neil Peart died of brain cancer on January 7th 2020. The first CD that I ever bought with my own money was a Rush album.


	20. Meet the Parents

They weren't even out of the car when Karen opened the front door.

"Sarah!" Completely ignoring the rain Toby came hurtling out, almost knocking Sarah down with the force of his hug as she stood up. Jareth got out and opened the umbrella above them. Toby belatedly noticed that she was not alone and looked at Sarah questioningly.

"Hey Toby. This is Jareth."

Toby squinted at Jareth but obligingly raised his hand to shake. "Do I know you?" Jareth shook his hand and winked.

Karen called out "Come inside before you get soaked!" Once they were inside she took their coats and put them in the closet. She slid up beside Sarah and whispered. "I didn't know you were bringing someone!"

"Karen, I'd like you to meet Jareth. Jareth, Karen."

Karen held out her hand to shake but Jareth clasped her hand and lightly kissed it. Karen tittered and blushed. "Robert, Sarah is here!"

"Coming!" Robert exited his office absentmindedly, a few papers in his hands. He looked up. "Hi sweetie!" Noticing that she was not alone he paused, adjusting his glasses. "You didn't tell us that you were bringing a friend."

"Daddy, this is Jareth Archer, my... boyfriend." The term felt wrong, but she couldn't think of another word.

Jareth extended his hand. "Honored to meet you Mr Williams." Robert shook hands but his face was reserved.

"Robert! Don't keep them at the door! Please come in." Karen led them into the living room and then grabbed Toby's arm and disappeared into the kitchen.

As Sarah sat down she glanced at her Dad, Robert leaned forward in his chair. "So... Jareth is it?... British?"

Jareth sat back on the couch, seemingly unaware of Robert's scrutiny. "Yes. Born just outside of London."

Karen returned with a tray of gingerale and glasses, Toby following with a bowl of chips and some small plates. He quickly put the bowl on the table, grabbed a plate full and ensconced himself in the corner of the couch with his gameboy.

Karen handed out the glasses. "So... how did you meet?"

Sarah accepted her glass and took a sip. "We bumped into each other Sunday. But we met each other several years ago."

Putting the tray down Karen looked up in surprise. "Really? You never mentioned him Sarah!"

"Well, we met in the park, once. And you were already yelling at me for being late so it wasn't the best time to mention chatting up a stranger."

Robert narrowed his eyes at Jareth.

Jareth ignored Robert's hostility and added. "I was in town for business and went to relax in the park, Sarah was play acting scenes from one of my favorite plays. We struck up a conversation."

The word business cought Robert's attention. "Business huh? What you into?"

"I own an estate and I dabble in trading art and antiques. There was estate sale I came to observe" Jareth spoke nonchalantly but Sarah noticed Karen's jaw drop.

Robert got a sly look. "Which estate sale?" Sarah frowned slightly, her Dad was trying to get Jareth to slip up.

"The Harper place." Jareth was nonplussed.

Robert seemed satisfied with that answer. "I remember the battle over that will, tough stuff."

Jareth nodded. "Indeed."

Karen tried to steer the conversation back. "So, Sarah, what happened on Sunday, did you see him at the aquarium?"

Sarah was relieved for a chance to redirect the conversation. "No, actually I bumped into him in the park near my apartment. When I was parking my car I heard the song he had played the first time we met. I went to inspect and he was in the gazebo with his guitar."

"A musician as well? So romantic!" Karen was beaming.

Robert on the other hand frowned. "And what, pray tell, were you doing near her apartment?"

Jareth did not take offense at Robert's accusing tone. "I am on holiday. I had visited the antique shop around the corner. I didn't even know she lived nearby but I was thrilled to see her again."

Robert looked like he was going to continue his interrogation. Sarah coughed and pointed to the clock. "Hey, Dad, your going to be late for your reservation."

Robert frowned but got up. Karen rambled nervously. "The stew is in the crock pot. It will be ready in half an hour, I've set a timer. There is fresh bread in the bread box. Please have Toby in bed by eight."

"Yes Karen, as always."

They put their coats on and were halfway out the door when Karen paused. "Oh, and I almost forgot! Your Dad just got a call this afternoon from a client and he would need to go next week and finalize the details in person. But it's in Texas and you know how Toby hates the heat, so it would be better if he stayed here. That would be okay with you, right?"

Sarah sighed, things were much better with Karen than they used to be, but Karen still had a bad habit of railroading Sarah's plans. Sarah had already intended on spending time with Toby during her vacation but having him the whole week hadn't been the plan.

Sarah rubbed her neck nervously. "Um... I kinda already had plans. I-"

Karen's face fell. "Really? Are you sure you can't adjust?...Anyway, sorry but we need to go. We'll talk more later. Bye!"

Sarah closed the door behind them and let out a long slow breath. She went back to the living room and found Toby eagerly explaining his favorite videogame to Jareth.

"See, there's this big maze, and the hero has to get through all these levels to get to the castle to save the princess."

Jareth glanced at Sarah and smiled. "And what if a princess wants to save a prince?"

Toby made a face. Sarah sent a warning glance at Jareth and tried to steer the conversation into safer subjects. "So, Toby, looking forward to summer vacation?"

"Yeah!... Except I don't wanna go with Mom and Dad to Texas. I wanna stay with here, with you."

At Sarah's surprised expression he mumbled guiltily. "I overheard them talking about asking you."

Sarah fluffed his hair. "You know I'd love to spend the week with you, but I won't be _here_."

"Huh?" Toby swiped her hand away, brows wrinkled in a slight frown.

Sarah lowered her voice, as if confiding a secret. "Jareth and I are going on a little vacation."

Toby perked up. "Ya think mom would let me go with you?"

Sarah smiled at his enthusiasm and the fact that he still enjoyed spending time with her. "I don't know, Daddy doesn't seem to like Jareth much."

"So we have to convince them! I don't wanna go to Texas again! It's too hot!"

"I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to them again when they get back."

The timer beeped and they all headed to the kitchen, which smelled wonderful. Sarah started portioning out the stew. "Toby, set the cutlery please!"

Jareth helped and they soon sat down to eat. After their delicious supper Jareth even offered to help wash the dishes, Toby dried and Sarah put them away. As soon as they were done Toby ran into the living room.

Sarah watched the rain slashing against the kitchen window and frowned, "I hope the roads aren't too bad."

"Your father seems to be quite a careful man, they should be fine." The corner of Jareth's mouth quirked. "You know we can get home regardless."

Her lips quirked too. "Yes... but leaving the car here would be difficult to explain."

He pulled her back to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "Who says we'd leave it behind?"

She peered at him out of the corner of her eyes. "You can transport cars?"

He chuckled. "Well, I have never tried cars but antique furniture can be rather heavy."

She half turned to look at him. "So the Goblin King really does dabble in antiques?"

"Sarah! Hurry up or we wont have time to watch the movie!" Toby yelled from the living room. When they entered he was proudly holding a VHS copy of The Lion King.

Sarah laughed. "Again? How many times have you watched it so far?"

"Uh... lots?"

Jareth looked at the image on the box. "I have not seen it."

Sarah asked. "You familiar with Shakespeare?" He nodded. "Imagine Hamlet but with lions."

Jareth's eyebrow raised in query. Sarah smirked.

They munched chips and watched the movie. Toby jumped around and sang along to all the songs, Sarah often joined in. Once the credits were rolling Sarah raised an eyebrow at Toby. "Okay, it's quarter past eight, time for bed!"

Toby groaned but trudged up the stairs. Sarah called after him. "Don't forget to brush your teeth!"

She turned to Jareth. "So... how did you like the movie?"

"Actually very good, that Scar fellow had style."

"Of course you like the villain." Sarah made a face at him.

"That Zazou character was also quite amusing." He paused and a look of mild horror crossed his face. "I would ask though, please don't show this to the goblins. It's bad enough that I am now pestered with random cries of "Inconceivable!" I really would prefer that they not discover "Hakuna Matata"

"Okay, so maybe it wasn't a good idea to show them the most quotable movie ever." Her grin was mischievous.

Jareth shot a glace at Sarah, she only grinned harder.

"You know Precious, this may very well be the first time that I am simultaneously tempted to both kiss and bog someone."

Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

He smirked and put his arm around her shoulder. "You should know that you are far too precious to me to risk such a thing."

Sarah was mollified, but she gave him a gentle nudge in the ribs. "Good, because if you ever do bog me you _will_ join me."

He chuckled in her ear. "I believe you."

Toby came thumping back down the stairs. He hugged her. "Goodnight Sarah."

She gave him a good squeeze. "Goodnight kiddo."

To her and Jareth's surprise Toby gave Jareth a quick hug. "Goodnight, I hope I get to stay with you guys next week!"

Sarah smiled softly. "I'll see what I can do." She fluffed up his hair again.

"Hey!" Toby waved her off and headed upstairs to bed.

Once he was gone Sarah plopped onto the couch and sighed. Jareth lounged beside her, a coin appeared at the tip of his finger. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She took the penny and played with it absentmindedly. "I just feel torn, I really want to visit the Underground, but I'd really like to spend time with Toby too."

Jareth shrugged. "So why not do both?"

Sarah thought for a moment. "Well, it would make things more complicated. I don't know if he could keep a place like the Labyrinth a secret. And it isn't exactly resting chasing after an eleven and a half year old."

Jareth attempted an innocent expression. "My goblins could keep him occupied."

She smirked at him. "Sure, their combined force of chaos!"

"And what about your friends in my kingdom?"

Sarah counted off her options. "Um... Sir Didimus is charming but reckless, Ludo wouldn't harm a fly but would have trouble keeping up with Toby... and... Hoggle is mad at me."

An eyebrow raised.

She stared at her hands. "They appeared in my mirror this morning and I told them that we were courting. Hoggle didn't take it well."

He lifted her chin, his eyes were solemn. "It is not his affair, he has no say in the matter."

She sighed. "Perhaps not, but... why does he distrust you so much?"

Jareth shrugged. "Quite possibly from the many ill advised pranks that I played on him as a boy. He was one of my favorite targets. I believe he mistook my mischief for malice and has never forgiven me. He may fear that I would harm you or that I would influence you away from his friendship."

She shook her head. "But it isn't a contest."

Jareth voice fell to almost a whisper. "He knows that I was once jealous of your friendship."

Sarah lightly brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. "There is nothing for either of you to be jealous about. Hoggle is a dear friend...and... you..."

"And I what, Precious?" His smirk was back in full force as he pulled her closer. She smiled and placed a lingering kiss on his lips.

There was a thump coming from beside the couch, followed by an "Oops!"

A vase wobbled off the side table, Jareth cought it and ordered. "Show yourself!"

Spikey helmet slid out from behind the couch, holding a glittery parchment with a gold wax seal. The goblin held out the envelope proudly. "Gold seal means important, right Kingy?"

"Thank you Igor, you are dismissed." The goblin disappeared as Jareth broke the seal and began reading. A frown creased his forehead.

Sarah craned her neck trying to see. "What?"

He handed her the parchment. "It seems that the Council is aware that I am courting and has summoned us both."

Sarah began to read the contents herself and gulped. "What for? Are we in trouble?"

"Not precisely, it is common for the Council to invite courting royalty to be inspected. I just had hoped to have more time, for you to have more time."

Sarah read to the end and blanched. "Three days! Are they crazy! I can't be ready to face a Fairytale Council in three days!"

He held her hand. "We don't have a choice."

She bit her lip nervously. "What happens if we refuse?"

Jareth's face became shuttered. "To disregard a direct summons would show gross disrespect for the entire Underground. It would most likely adversely affect relations with the other kingdoms. It could set them against our union."

Sarah tightened her grip on his hand and managed a small smile. "I knew that I would have to face this eventually, may as well get it over with." She kissed him. "So what do we need to do to prepare?"

The look of joy on Jareth's face made her kiss him again. She cuddled up beside him on the couch. "So what do I need to know?"

They spent the next couple of hours overviewing what she could expect at the council and some basics of court etiquette.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Labyrinth or the Lion King. I do own my goblin OCs


	21. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of Goblin Kings)

They talked for hours cuddled on the couch, when they heard the car in the driveway Sarah was surprised to see that it was half passed midnight. They got up and met Robert and Karen at the door, they were soaked.

Karen immediately started apologizing. "Sorry we're so late, the meeting went super well and we lost track of time and then the drive home was terrible."

"Yeah, we should get going." She went to grab her jacket.

Her dad frowned with worry. "Are you sure you want to drive tonight...?"

Sarah shrugged. "We drove here in the rain, we should be fine..."

Karen shook her head. "Visibility is really bad and the radio said that the wind has knocked down trees." She glanced at Robert and back at Sarah. "We would feel better if you waited til morning. You already have some things in the guest room and Jareth could sleep on the couch."

"I..." Sarah looked from one to the other, she couldn't reassure them without sounding crazy. She glanced back at Jareth, who nodded. "Okay."

Karen headed towards the linen closet, rubbing her temples. Sarah caught up to her. "You can go to bed, I know where everything is."

Karen smiled gratefully and went upstairs.

Sarah got some sheets and blankets and Jareth set up the couch while she went to get some stuff from the spare room. She came down holding some folded fabric and a brand new toothbrush. "These are the extra things that Karen keeps on hand, hopefully the pajamas aren't too baggy." She indicated the bathroom in the hallway. "You can change there, I'll go upstairs."

Sarah brushed her teeth, put on her spare pajamas and looked herself over in the mirror. The bottoms were covered with rainbow stars and the bright pink T-shirt had a large shooting star on it. She peeked out of the bathroom and noticed that her dad had left his door open a crack. Tiptoeing down the stairs she went to check on Jareth.

The King of the goblins was lounging on the couch, barefoot in stripped pajama bottoms and a baggy T-shirt with Snoopy and Woodstock on the front, leafing through a coffeetable book on gardening. Sarah blinked at the odd image and then smirked. "You know, it's too bad that you don't have your goblin king hairdo right now, it would look cute with Woodstock."

Jareth glanced down at the spikey haired bird on the t-shirt and raised an eyebrow archly. "I could arrange that you know."

She smothered a smile. "On second thought it would be kinda hard to explain away if someone wakes up."

Sarah noticed him look her up and down. "Yes, I know I look like a rainbow collided with a kaleidoscope."

"I was only admiring Love." He winked at her.

Sarah blushed. "I'd suggest lights out, everyone will be getting up early tomorrow."

Jareth put the book down and settled into the makeshift bed, he looked mischievous. "What, no goodnight kiss?"

She leaned over and adjusted the comforter before kissing him gently. "Goodnight Jareth."

As she went to straighten up he pulled her into his arms, his kiss knocking the breath out of her. As he let her go, he whispered. "Sweet dreams Precious." She swatted at him gently before making her way back upstairs and quickly falling asleep.

...

Sarah found herself sitting on a bench in a garden, surrounded by hedges. She was wearing an empire style dress in layers of diaphanous pale pink with sheer slit sleeves that trailed almost to the floor. She smiled when she noticed the delicate embroidery on the bodice and edge of the sleeves of shimmering pastel stars. The garden was full of lilac and rose trees and irises and many others she could not name.

"Hello Sarah."

She turned to see Jareth, in a casual Underground look of a brown leather jacket over a ruffled cream poet shirt and snug brown breaches tucked into brown heeled boots. He looked very byronic.

She smirked at him. "So, was your kiss the invitation, or your parting words?"

"Both" He chuckled low. "How did you guess?"

She held out a sleeve. "My attire was a big hint. Figured it was your handiwork."

He strolled up to her and pulled her against him. "And does it please you?"

She looked around again. "Everything is beautiful... " her eyes turned back to him, worried. "I hope that you're not exhausting yourself again on my behalf."

He smiled at her. "Do not fret love, a shared dream is not much more energy intensive that a regular dream, or a daydream."

"And from what I can gather from my experience the invitation doesn't have to be explicit, intent being a large part of it."

"Correct." He seemed pleased by her deduction.

She took his hand and they walked among the flowers, which were all in full bloom in defiance of any seasonal schedule. Jareth plucked one and handed it to her. It was purple with faint blue and fuchsia veins, star shaped with a raised center similar to a daffodil, but tightly closed, an orange glow emanating from it's core. He tapped the bloom and it opened and Sarah gasped in wonder as a shower of tiny golden stars swirled around them before falling into the surrounding flowers. Each opened in turn and soon she was dazzled by thousands of stars dancing around them.

Jareth watched the stars reflected in her eyes wide with wonder and felt his heart ready to burst, he pulled her into his arms. She smiled, leaning up, meeting his lips halfway and they shared a long languid embrace.

When they opened their eyes the stars were gone.

The garden began to ripple. Jareth kissed her again just as the garden faded from view.

Sarah awoke to the ceiling in the spare bedroom. She smiled and went back to sleep.

...

An excited knocking on the door woke Sarah from a deep sleep. Groggily she blinked at the bedside clock, it read 6:02

The door burst open and Toby jumped onto the bed and attacked her with a bear hug. "Sarah! You didn't tell me you were staying."

She squinted and held the pillow over her eyes. "It was a last minute decision because of bad weather."

He tugged on the pillow. "Mom said to wake you up so that you can get to work."

"Thanks, but my vacation started already."

He pouted. "No fair! Mine only starts tomorrow!"

"So let me get up and get changed and maybe I can drive you to school. Okay?"

"Cool!" He ran out.

Once dressed Sarah glanced into her old room. It was Toby's now, the furniture was the same but all of her posters and decorations were gone. Only Lancelot still kept guard in the shelf, now accompanied with action figures. The walls were covered in posters of tigers and dragons. The bookcase was full of comic books and fantasy, mystery, adventure stories. She paused when she recognized a familiar red binding. She entered and pulled it out. Opening the cover she traced her finger over the inscription. "To my little Princess, Love, Mom."

When had he taken it? She frowned but put it back for now, she'd ask him later.

...

She walked into the kitchen. "Morning everyone."

Robert didn't even look up from his newspaper "Morning Sweetie."

Toby waved, his mouth was full of cereal.

Karen looked up from preparing the lunches. "Morning. Toby told me that you don't work today."

"Yeah." Sarah poured herself a mug of coffee and joined Jareth by the kitchen window. The sky had cleared and it looked like it would be a beautiful day. "I was thinking that I could drive Toby to school and then show Jareth around a bit."

Robert grumbled from behind his newspaper.

Karen tried to sound casual as she asked. "Have you thought about my question yesterday?"

"Mm.. yeah. I wanted to talk to you about that." Sarah had discussed this with Jareth the evening before but she knew it wasn't going to be easy. She cleared her throat. "We are going to a private Renfaire event hosted by a friend of Jareth's. It is a multi day event, the guests are staying in chalets on site."

Karen's eyebrows raised, Robert's formed a frown. Sarah took a deep breath and continued. "We had already RSVP'd but I checked with the organizers last night, there would be no problem with Toby coming with us."

Toby's eyes grew wide. "Really? Cool!"

Robert sputtered. "You haven't been dating a week and you're letting him sweep you off to a cabin in the woods!"

"Daddy!" Sarah was shocked that her dad would talk like that in front of her boyfriend. She glanced at Jareth, his jaw was was set but otherwise calm.

Robert looked at her and he sighed, resigned. "Look Sarah, I am sorry but all of my instincts are telling me that there is something fishy about this. If you are determined to go I can't stop you... but I won't let you take Toby with you!"

Toby had poked at his cereal while the adults argued. At his dad's words his eyes shot up. "No! I'm not gonna to Texas with you!"

Robert thumped the newspaper on the table. "You will do as we say young man!"

"No!" Toby jumped to his feet, his eyes were full of tears. He glared at his parents and shouted. "I wish the Goblin King would take you away! Right now!"

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... Toby has hijacked my story.
> 
> I don't own Labyrinth or its characters. Or Snoopy or Woodstock.


	22. Wishes and Consequences

Sarah and Jareth exchanged horrified glances as the electronics in the house flickered.

Karen cried out. "What's happening?"

The room somehow darkened for a moment, when the light returned there was a swirl of glitter and Jareth stood in his full Goblin King regalia. And Karen and Robert had vanished.

Toby spun around searching, finally turning to face Jareth and Sarah. He backed up a step, confusion and fear on his face. "What happened to Mom and Dad?"

The Goblin King tilted his head and spoke softly. "I think you know where they are Toby."

Sarah grabbed Jareth's arm and whispered. "Please... don't do this."

Jareth's eyes were regretful as he shook his head. "I don't have the choice." Sarah clenched her hand in frustration, belatedly noticing that it was gloved.

She looked herself over, instead of her jeans and t-shirt she saw head to toe glittering black armour and cape, a feminine equivalent to Jareth's. She glared questioningly at Jareth, who sighed and indicated the pendant hanging low on her breast plate.

Toby's eyes nervously flitted between the dark clad figures. "What's going on?"

Sarah looked at him sadly. "You made a wish."

Realisation turned to panic. "No! Please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" He began to sob. "Please, bring them back!"

Sarah's heart ached to comfort her brother, she stepped towards him, Jareth's hand gently but firmly held her back. She shot him a glare, he shook his head almost imperceptibly.

The Goblin King spoke softly. "Toby, I have brought you a gift." He a crystal appeared in his hand and offered it to the terrified boy. Sarah wanted to knock it out of his hands, throw it out the window, anything to stop what was happening. But she understood that Toby had set something in motion, she could not stop it.

Toby gazed wide eyed at the profered bauble. "What is it?"

"A crystal." He rolled it over his hands deftly, holding it up to Toby's face before curling his arm back. "It will show you your dreams."

"My dreams?" He tried to see within the crystal but Jareth lifted it higher before rolling it back down, presenting it just out of the boy's grasp.

"Do you want it?" Jareth taunted.

Toby seemed mesmerized by the spinning sphere, he began to lift his hand to take it.

Sarah's breath caught in her throat. Toby paused and regarded Jareth warily. "But... what about Mom and Dad?"

Jareth's voice was soft but had a mocking tone. "I thought you didn't want your parents around to tell you what do do."

Toby blinked and pushed away Jareth's hand holding the crystal. "No, I want my parents back."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "Let me r-"

Jareth placed a finger to her lips, there was a warning in his eyes. He turned towards the kitchen window which no longer showed the beautiful sunny morning. Instead a fiery orange sky illuminated the Labyrinth and the castle in the distance.

Jareth spoke. "They are there, in my castle... Are you sure you want to look for them?"

In an instant they were at the old tree overlooking the gate. A sense of nostalgia washed over Sarah despite the knot in her stomach

Toby squinted at the castle. "It doesn't look that far."

"It is further than you think and time is short." An ornate clock appeared in the tree. Jareth leaned and whispered into Toby's ear. "There's still time to turn back you know."

Toby frowned at him. "No, I can't. I have to get my parents back."

"Very well...You have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth... before your parents become part of this world... forever."

As Jareth and Sarah faded from view she could hear Toby plaintively call out. "Sarah!"

...

Sarah and Jareth reappeared in the castle, but not in the throneroom as she had expected. They were in the room of stairs.

Sarah turned angrily at Jareth. "Why did you stop me from taking Toby's place?"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Because you _cannot_."

She recoiled. "Why not?"

He clasped his pendant and held it beside hers. "We are bound to our roles, remember what I said about your run?"

Sarah shook her head in denial, then she frowned, her eyes were like daggers as she poked his chest. "This is your fault! You're the one who told me to keep it!"

He sighed, shaking his head. "There has never been two pendants before, I could not have foreseen this!"

"But he's my brother! I can't do this!"

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "In this moment you are Keeper of the Labyrinth same as I. Whether we like it or not we must each play our roles until the scene plays out. If we do not... the whole game is forfeit... everyone loses."

Tears began to cascade down her face. Jareth wiped them away with a gloved finger. "We must wait and see what your brother expects of us... and play along."

She pushed him away. "It's not fair! He's only a kid!"

His voice was gentle. "I know Precious... but I don't make the rules."

Sarah slumped to her knees, a strangled sob echoing among the twisted stairs. Jareth knelt placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned her face away from him and he almost removed his hand, but she leaned into him and he held her, stroking her hair.

Wiping her eyes Sarah stood and took a few deep breaths, Jareth was relieved to see a spark of determination had replaced the despair in her eyes. "We will figure the rest out later." She took his hand. "Let's go check on the wished aways."

...

They appeared together in a poof of glitter, standing behind the throne.

In the pit Karen screamed in surprise and clutched at Robert, who was swatting his newspaper to keep the curious goblins that surrounded them at bay.

Robert scowled at the pair in black armour and then he did a double take. Looking them up and down he exclaimed. "Sarah! What is the meaning of this?"

Sarah sighed "I guess new introductions are in order. Dad, Karen meet Jareth... The Goblin King."

Karen blinked in surprise. "Goblin King? Like in the storybook you used to read?

Jareth bowed, smirking.

Karen's eyes widened and she spun to Sarah, pointing her finger accusingly. "That night... when you suddenly changed... you wished Toby away, didn't you?"

"Yes..." Sarah kept her voice level. "And I ran the Labyrinth for him and won him back."

Karen's face became downcast. "Now Toby has wished us away."

"Yes." Sarah nodded.

Robert scowled. "And is he running this Labyrinth right now?"

Jareth indicated the huge clock. "He started twenty three minutes ago."

Karen clutched at Sarah's shoulders. "You have to help him!"

Sarah's shoulders slumped. "I can't."

Robert bellowed. "What do you mean you can't?"

Jareth looked regretfully at the Williams family. "It is procedure. You are the wished away, We are Keepers of the Labyrinth. None of us can interfere with the runner."

"But he's all alone!" Karen's broken expression cut Sarah to the core.

Jareth cracked a small smile. "If he is anything like his sister, he will not be alone for long."

...


	23. Enter the Labyrinth

The sun was rising over the Labyrinth as Toby marched down the hill and up to the outer wall. He tried make sense of what had happened. The Labyrinth was real? And his sister's boyfriend was the Goblin King from the book? She was dressed like his queen? But how? Why? He continued to ponder everything as he walked along the wall, trying to figure out how to get in. He couldn't see a door or gate anywhere but there were some scraggly vines covering parts of the wall. He tried moving aside some of the vines to see if there was a hidden entrance but found nothing.

He squinted at the vine covered wall and tugged on one of the larger vines, it held. He began to try climb over but had barely made it three feet off the ground when he heard a faint high pitched giggle above him. He looked up to see a tiny iridescent fairy with white hair.

"Ah ah ah!" She wagged her finger at him and touched the vine, which snapped sending Toby tumbling to the ground.

"Oww!" Toby rubbed his sore bottom, scowling at the fairy.

A gruff voice grumbled. "Who's messing up the garden?"

Startled Toby jumped up, tossing aside the broken vine and searching for the source of the voice. A grumpy looking little man appeared out of the bushes holding some kind of spray can. " Ah Ha! 37!" He grunted as he sprayed the fairy that had just made Toby fall. She collapsed to the ground.

Toby watched the tiny creature struggle to get back up, he frowned at the man. "What you do that for?"

The dwarf skitted over to another fairy. "38!" The fairy dropped like a stone.

Toby put himself between the little man and the fallen fairy. "Hey! But she didn't do anything!"

"Nuisances the lot of them!" He tried to get past Toby, who didn't budge. Finally the dwarf backed up. "Who are you anyway?"

Jutting out his chin he declared. "I'm Toby."

At that the man's eyes bulged. "Sarah's little brother Toby?" He had to look up to Toby as he said it.

Toby scrunched his eyebrows, defensive. "How do you know Sarah?"

The man stiffened. "I'm Hoggle. Sarah never told ya?"

At Toby's blank expression he frowned. "Is she alright? You didn't wish her away to that rat did ya?"

Toby's shoulders slumped. "No, but I wished my parents away. I have to save them." A tear squeezed out, he wiped it away and tried to look brave.

"Now, now." He patted Toby on the elbow and then waved his hand and a great door disengaged itself from the wall and opened. "Now you best hurry, but be carefull, I'll go and try to find Sarah."

"Thanks mister!" Toby sprinted into the opening.

"My name is Hoggle!" The dwarf huffed just before the door slammed shut, making Toby jump.

Looking right and left Toby could see two apparently identical paths, seemingly straight and going on forever. He closed his eyes and spun. When he opened his eyes again he took a deep breath. "Here goes!"

The passage was littered with dead branches and debris. A large branch almost blocked the way, Toby leaned against the wall to get by but fell back in surprise when some growth on the wall opened dozens of eyes and peered at him. His first instinct was to flee but his curiosity was stronger. Crouching beside the branch he watched the many eyes blink and move.

"Cool!" He carefully stepped over the branch without disturbing the eyes and then continued down the corridor.

After a while the monotony of the passageway caused him zone out, he tripped on a branch and fell sprawled across the corridor. "Ow!"

He was startled by a voice right beside him. "Ello, are you alright?"

Looking over he realized that he had landed beside a fuzzy blue worm... with a red scarf... who could talk.

Wide eyed Toby shuffled back. "I-I'm... fine... um... are you okay?... I didn't see you."

"I was sure I was done for for a moment there." The worm chuckled. "But no 'arm done. But best be watchin' where ya put yer feet round 'ere. Never know who or what ya might run into."

Toby perked up. "Do you know how to solve the Labyrinth?"

The worm shook his head regretfully. "No... I've just come from pickin' flowers for the missus. Its our anniversary!" He held up a tiny bouquet of flowers proudly.

Toby smiled. "Congratulations!"

The worm inched towards the wall, gesturing for him to follow. "Would ya like ta come in? Meet the missus, 'ave a cup a tea."

Toby figured it wouldn't be polite to mention that he didn't like tea, besides, he didn't see any hole in the wall big enough for him. He began backing away, eager to get back to his task. "Thank you, but I - Ack!"

His back met empty air instead of stone and he stumbled back, nearly falling right into another corridor that he was sure had not been there a moment ago.

Looking around he mumbled. "You'd think the castle would be visible from here."

The worm shrugged. "Oh! The castle is that way."

...

Back in the throne room Jareth was holding up a crystal for the others to see into.

Sarah pouted slightly at the sphere. "Hey! The worm told me to go the other way!" She glanced at the clock. "Toby's making better time than I was, he should be fine."

Karen looked up from the crystal. "But what kinds of things will he face?"

Jareth gazed back into the crystal, thoughtful. "That depends on him."

Robert was still fuming, he turned to Sarah. "I knew something didn't add up... but this is ridiculous! You're dating a fairytale villain?"

Sarah looked her father in the eyes. "It's true that when I had to run the Labyrinth I saw him as a villain, later I saw him as an antagonist. Now I see him as a man bound to certain rules, as I am at the moment."

Robert grabbed her arms, shaking her. "But he will trap us here!"

Jareth stepped closer, Sarah shook her head minutely before turning her attention back to her father. "Only if Toby loses. And only because Toby made the wish."

Looking from Sarah to Jareth Robert frowned. "Are you already his queen?"

She snorted. "Not in the sense that you mean. Heck Dad, we only started officially dating yesterday!"

"Then why are you dressed like him? Why do you wear the same weird necklace? Why did he call you a keeper of the Labyrinth?"

"It seems that my adventures here have given me certain powers. Those powers have joined me to this place. When Toby made his wish the power of that wish caught me in its web as well. I have a role to fulfil."

His hands gripped her tighter. "But Toby is your brother!"

Finally the cool facade snapped, she shook him of, glaring. "You think that I don't know that Dad! I cannot interfere! If I try to help him the game is forfeit and he loses!"

Robert finally let her go, subdued, and went back to checking the crystal.

Karen was wringing her hands. "What about work? And Toby for school? We're going to be so late!"

"I'm sorry, but none of us can leave until Toby gets here." She would not entertain the possibility that he wouldn't arrive in time. "You are going to miss today entirely."

Karen looked so distressed. Poor always perfect Karen didn't know what to do.

Sarah got an idea. "Jareth, is it possible to make a crystal that connects to their phone?"

Forming a crystal he handed it to her, in her hands it became a cordless phone. Sarah passed it to Karen. "Here, you can call in sick if you want. Say that everyone got a stomach flu or something."

A bearded goblin that was almost as tall as Sarah appeared in the doorway. "Your Majesty, I was not aware that there was more than one guest. Shall I prepare more rooms?"

Jareth turned in surprise. "Edgar..."

Sarah shook her head. "Hopefully that will not be necessary."

Edgar tilted his head at her appearance but simply nodded. "Will you be requiring a noon meal your majesties?"

Sarah looked to Jareth. "Is it safe?"

Jareth chuckled under his breath. "One tainted peach and I'll never hear the end of it."

...

The walls of the corridors changed from dark grey slats to sandy blocks. Now instead of a seeming straight line, there were twists and turns everywhere. The walls were so tall he couldn't determine direction at all. In a gap in the walls there was a stone pillar with hands jutting out all over, pointing in different directions. He climbed up the hands, trying to see the castle. As soon as he touched the topmost hand it turned downwards, there was a rumbling sound and the pillar shifted beneath him.

Toby lost his grip and began to slip, he grabbed at another stone hand and dug his heels in trying to brake. The stones tilted further and he lost his grip, he felt his stomach drop. "Aghhh!"

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all who have left kudos and comments!
> 
> As per usual I don't own Labyrinth or its characters. I do own my goblin OCs.


	24. The Same Yet Different

In the throne room Sarah and Karen had been following Toby's progress in a crystal, they cried out as Toby fell, only to stare in wonder as the stone moved, changed shape, sloping down, allowing Toby to slide down, landing sprawled at the bottom. They could see him get up and brush himself off, startled but unharmed.

Jareth glanced over their shoulders, the corner of his mouth twitched. "It was only a little nudge for him to stop looking for shortcuts."

Sarah frowned at him, while Robert narrowed his eyes at his nonchalance. "Do you care so little for my son Goblin King?"

"There is no need to worry, the Labyrinth will not allow lasting harm to come to him. As I have explained to Sarah, there is a failsafe built into the game, if he ever truly was in danger the Labyrinth would consider the game over, he would be sent home safe and sound."

"But without us! Right?" Karen looked to be on the edge of tears. Robert pulled her into his arms to confort her, glaring daggers at Jareth.

Before Jareth could respond Sarah interposed herself between him and her parents. "Toby is fine and still has plenty of time. He _will_ make it."

Karen bit her lip and turned away, looking again into the crystal.

...

Toby looked around, the pointing hands were gone, the slide had disappeared, the corridors still gave no indication of which way he should go.

Pointing at the corridors he mumbled. "Einey meeney miney mo."

He rambled along the corridor, occasionally running his fingers along the stone. A scraping noise behind him made him pause, cautiously he turned around but there was nothing there.

"That's weird!" He muttered. Another noise, he spun again but saw no one.

He shrugged and continued but at the first step he tripped and fell forward. He tried to get up but stumbled again.

Looking down at his feet he was surprised to find the pompoms on his slippers tied together. A snicker beside him made him turn, just in time to see a tiny, skinny, brown creature disappear under a floor tile.

"Hey! That's not fair!"

The tiny head poked out from under a different tile and blew a raspberry at him before diving under again.

Toby dove for it, only to pull back when a slightly larger creature popped up, shaking a fist at him yelling "Fraggedy aardvark!" before disappearing under the tile again.

When Toby lifted the tile, there was nothing there but dirt. He sighed and got up, but was dismayed to find that he had gotten turned around, he didn't know which direction he had been taking, the walls all looked the same.

He sighed and picked a direction, hoping that he wasn't retracing his steps.

After a while the corridor opened up, becoming a small circular courtyard, ivy intermittently obscuring its high walls. In its center a design was etched into the stone. Toby approached to inspect it and found that it was a type of compass rose, each arrow pointed to a door in the courtyard. He blinked when he realized that the passage he had entered by was gone.

Toby sighed and muttered. "Now where am I supposed to go?"

A nasally voice startled them. "Could you be quiet, some of us are trying to sleep!"

Toby jumped and nervously scanned the area for the source of the voice. All he saw were the ivy covered stone walls and four solid looking wooden doors. There was no sign of anyone.

He walked up to one of the doors and tried the old fancy bronze knob, jumping back when it wiggled in his hands.

Toby gaped at the knob, belatedly noting that the curlicues carved into it formed a face, which was grimacing in displeasure. "No manners these days, grabbing one's nose like that!"

"I'm sorry... Sir... um...?" Toby stammered.

The knob raised his brows, its mouth set in a frown.

Toby fumbled to remember his manners. "Oh, well... um, may I open the door please?"

The knob sneered. "No! You may not grab my nose again!"

"Well... can you open on your own?"

The knob paused and frowned, "None of your business."

Toby huffed in frustration and went to check the other doors. Each had a fancy knob or handle, each carved into the semblance of a face. He inspected a pewter handle, its eyes were closed. Toby knocked on the door.

The handle's eyes popped open, immediately scowling at him. "Do you mind! I'm sleeping here!"

"I...I just need to open the door."

"No, let me sleep in peace!" It scrunched its eyes closed.

He tried the next one, a shiny brass knob. When he tried to turn the handle it bit him. "Ouch!" He cried out as he jumped back, rubbing his sore finger.

The last door had a copper knob, which scowled at him as he approached it. "Don't even think about it buster!"

Toby stuffed his hands in his pockets, sighing. How was he supposed to get out of here if none of the doors would open?

Toby circled the courtyard again, but this time running his hands along the walls and through the vines searching for any hidden openings. He didn't find any, but the vines tickling his arm gave him an idea. He plucked a leaf from the vine and turned back to the first knob. He lightly brushed the leaf under the handle, who wrinkled it's knob and huffed grumpily. Toby persisted, concentrating on the tip of the knob.

The handle squirmed and huffed and sniffled and finally sneezed... and with a click the door opened. Toby pushed the door wider and slipped past the irritated handle who was grumbling at him.

"Sorry!" Toby called over his shoulder as he passed. On the other side was a hedge maze, he skipped ahead. "Piece of cake!"

The cobblestones gave way beneath him.

...

Karen stifled a scream before seeing that Toby was unharmed, suspended above the oubliette by dozens of hands.

Jareth turned to Sarah, a smirk on his face. "Your brother takes after you it seems."

Sarah snorted. "Maybe, but I never tickled a door!"

"No, you just held his nose until he complied."

Karen glanced at Sarah, frowning. "Really Sarah?"

With a shrug Sarah retorted. "I needed to save Toby."

Karen just looked back at the crystal, biting her lip.

Sarah looked again too. "Where are the guarded doors that I faced? "

"There are a three different gates within the Labyrinth as well as three oubliettes, each with their own Helping Hands to help reduce risk of injury."

...

Toby blinked... in the dim light he could see that he was surrounded by weird looking knobby blue-green hands, some of them were holding him up. A few of the hands grouped and twisted together to form grotesque faces. One spoke. "Well, what do we have here?

Toby's eyebrows knitted together. "Put me down!"

A chorus of mocking voices echoed. "He said down!

There was a ruckus of laughing and jeering and Toby felt himself being brusquely handed down into the darkness. "Wait! Where are you taking me?"

The hands didn't pause, only laughed. "You said down!"

The last of the hands let go, Toby fell into darkness.

As he landed he heard the sound of a grate slamming shut, he scowled up at the hole. "No fair"

Only distant raucous laughter answered.

Toby got up and carefully made his way to a wall, almost stumbling on debris in the half light, he ran his hand along the wall searching again for any openings. Disappointed he plunked down crosslegged on the floor, leaning on his fists.

Behind him something shuffled in the darkness. Jumping up Toby searched for the source of the noise. "Who's there?"

"Me!" A gruff voice barked.

There was the sound of a match striking, the match lit a candle on a small table that he hadn't seen, in the flame's light he recognized Hoggle.

Toby sighed in relief. "Oh, it's you!"

Hoggle frowned. "I tried to find Sarah, she ain't answering her mirror and all the portals are closed!"

"Of course not, she's here."

He spun around. "Here? Where?"

Toby shrugged. "At the castle probably."

"Whatya mean at the castle? You said you didn't wish her away!"

"I didn't, she's with Jareth."

"She's with that rat... instead of helping you!? Well I never!...We'd better hurry and talk some sense into her."

"But, how do we get out?"

"Howdya think I got in?" He shuffled back and in the candle light Toby could see an open trap door, leading down glittery stone stairs.

Hoggle placed the candle back on the table and blew it out.

Toby blinked in the sudden darkness. "Why did you do that?"

"Stairs are too cramped, fire hazard."

Toby gingerly followed Hoggle into the trap door, his hands out, grumbling at the dim light. Hoggle was right about being cramped, after knocking his head a couple of times Toby had to scrunch down a bit.

The stairs continued down for a while, suddenly Hoggle stopped causing Toby to bump into him, sending them both sprawling.

...

Jareth frowned at the image in the crystal. "Hoggle is not following his script. He better not interfere too much or we will be forced to up the difficulty."

"Seriously? He just rescued my brother from an oubliette and you're mad at him?"

"The purpose of the Labyrinth is to test the runner's resolve and resourcefulness, not that of it's inhabitants. What do you think the cleaners was... or the peach? The more help you have the harder the journey. In this case your brother has not even won over Hoggle himself, he is simply profiting from Hoggle's goodwill towards you."

Sarahs eyes flashed dangerously. "You are not sending the cleaners after my brother!"

Jareth kept his voice level, one brow lifted archly. "Do you have any other ideas?"

Sarah looked again at the crystal to see where they were headed.

"Yes."

...

The corridor was only slightly better lit, as Toby followed Hoggle the shadows seemed to move giving the impression of faces, making Toby jittery.

"Beware!" Boomed a voice right beside them, Toby jumped so hard he stumbled back against the opposite wall.

A wall which moved!

He jumped away, a face in the stone proclaimed, "The path you take leads to certain destruction!"

Toby spun around blinking, there were several faces along the wall, all taller than he was, and they were talking!

Hoggle ignored them and kept going. "They're only False Alarms."

One of the faces warned. "You are going the wrong way!"

Hoggle frowned at them, "You don't need to deafen us."

Its bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "But the king said warn everyone."

"Well, you've warned us, now please be quiet!"

Toby followed Hoggle away from the False Alarms, one of them called after them sulkily, "It be on your head!"

As the corridor became quiet Toby noticed a tinkling sound, he stopped and looked around. Out of the dark a bright glass orb was rolling towards him. He watched it cautiously. Just as it came within three feet of him it jumped.

Right into the hand of the Goblin King.

Toby jumped back and scowled. "Where is Sarah?"

"I'm right here Toby." She detached herself from the shadows. "How are you enjoying the Labyrinth?"

Hoggle eyes bugged out of his head when he saw Sarah, draped in burgundy leather fitted trench, wearing a pendant.

"You! You!" He pointed at her accusingly.

Toby glared at her. "I wanna go home!"

Sarah forced her face to remain neutral. "Do you mean that you give up?"

"No! Why can't you let all of us go home?"

"Because you made a wish."

"But, he's King, and aren't you like his Queen or something? Can't you change the rules?"

"Some rules even royalty must follow."

"But it's not fair!"

"No, it isn't. It isn't fair to any of us. I'm not allowed to directly help you."

Hoggle grabbed Toby by the arm and began tugging.

Jareth regarded them haughtily. "Hogbrain, what do you think you are doing?"

"Gettin Toby to the castle."

Jareth held out the crystal sphere. "You know that you're not supposed to be helping him."

"Pagh! He needs to go back Above and so does Sarah. An you shouldn't be interfering either yer majesty!"

Jareth stepped forward. "Sarah and her brother are not your business Higgle."

Hoggle stood his ground. "It is my business, I won't let you hurt them!"

"Now why would I hurt my Queen and Heir?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes, she wasn't his Queen, not yet, and Toby wasn't their heir.

Hoggle shook his head sadly. "I don't know what you did to trick her, but she ain't your queen, she ain't like you!"

"I think someone needs to cool his head a bit." He lobbed the crystal at Hoggle and he disappeared.

"Jareth" Sarah hissed in a warning tone.

Jareth leaned forward. "Now Toby, I think you had better get going." Another crystal formed on his fingertips.

Toby eyed the orb warily then glanced up, his gaze flicking between Jareth and Sarah. Turning on his heels he ran blindly as fast as he could down the nearest corridor.

Jareth chuckled, "He won't get far, that's a dead end."

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The good news is that this account is now caught up and all of my current stories have been crossposted. (Yay!)
> 
> The bad news is that means future updates will be a bit slower. (Sorry!)  
> Hopefully the next chapter will be ready to post soon. 
> 
> I still don't own Labyrinth or its characters.


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